An Obstacle Called Fate
by ReallyObsessiveWriter
Summary: Elphaba and Galinda do not get along. Period. But Elphaba finds out something interesting when she walks into their room to find Galinda...crying? Now complete.
1. Chapter 1

Elphaba and Galinda hadn't gotten along very well in the beginning. Well…that was an understatement. They hadn't gotten along at all in the beginning, and they still didn't get along. Their feelings towards each other had escalated to extreme dislike and, in some instances, loathing.

Their rooming together had created quite a problem. On one hand, Elphaba wasn't in the room much because she spent so much time holed up in the library and Galinda didn't spend much time in the room, either, because she was often out at social gatherings.

On the other hand, when they were in the room together, which was very rare, they often got into full scale fights, not very far from actually hitting each other. Everyone on their floor could hear these shouting matches and the person who left after the fight had ended or broken off, usually Elphaba, had to elbow her way through the crowd that had gathered at her door.

And then there were the public encounters where Elphaba was walking from one class to another, or stalking from the library back to her room. At these times, Galinda was usually surrounded by her posse of friends and admirers, Pfannee, ShenShen, and Milla always being there. They mercilessly poked and prodded at Elphaba as she passed by and, for the most part, ignored them. Occasionally she would reward them with a sarcastic comment or disapproving look, and if they were lucky, a full out resistance to their teasing.

All of these things kept the two roommates from becoming friends, or even acquaintances. The fact that they didn't talk to each other in civil tones, besides a polite request from Elphaba to Galinda asking her to be quiet, is why Elphaba was so surprised to see Galinda crying, no _sobbing_, in their room after two months of the awkward relationship.

"Miss Galinda, is there something I have done to upset you?" Elphaba asked hesitantly after standing quietly on the threshold of their room.

Galinda gave a muffled answer and Elphaba leaned forward to hear her better, only to fail at trying to translate the unintelligible reply. "I'm sorry, but I didn't hear you," she said quietly.

"I said 'no'," Galinda said, looking up at Elphaba. Her appearance startled the green girl. The blonde was usually a picture of perfection with immaculately curled hair, flawlessly applied makeup, and an unnervingly neat and matching wardrobe. But now her eyes were red and puffy, makeup was running down her face because of her tears, her hair was tousled so it looked like she had just rolled out of bed, and her wardrobe consisted of her nightclothes.

"May I inquire as to what is wrong?" Elphaba asked cautiously, slowly stepping forward so as not to push her luck. She didn't know why she had suddenly taken an interest in the wellbeing of her roommate, but she couldn't help but be concerned. Never before had Galinda betrayed this type of emotion in front of her.

"No," Galinda moaned, burying her head in her arms once again, her shoulders shaking as she continued to sob.

"If this is about one of your dresses getting ruined, it wasn't me," Elphaba said, slowly edging around the room and while keeping as far away from Galinda as possible. The blonde blew up at random moments, and Elphaba had been the subject of these explosions more than once in the past.

"It's not," Galinda sobbed.

"Then quit your moaning, you don't know what it's like to suffer," Elphaba snapped, getting tired of the charade Galinda was putting on. "If you want to suffer, try being green and allergic to water…and then go live in Quadling Country where it's swampy and never stops raining."

"I'm going to die," Galinda whispered.

Elphaba looked at her as if she were crazy. "Miss Galinda, everyone dies at sooner or later, mostly later. It's a fact of life. Now if someone were to murder you, or had inclinations to murder you, I would start worrying. Although I doubt someone wants to kill _you_."

"No, you don't get it, Miss Elphaba," Galinda said fiercely, standing up. "I. Am. Going. To. Die. Sooner, rather than later."

"What are you talking about?" Elphaba asked, her eyebrows meeting in the middle of her forehead, relating her confusion to Galinda.

Galinda swallowed with great difficulty. "I have this…this disease," she said, biting her lip and tracing a winding pattern on her leg. "It attacks my blood cells, so when I get cut, my blood won't clot. My parents have paid for a lot of doctors and sorcerers to try and heal me, but…but none of the treatments seem to be working. I have to be really careful of what I do, because just a small bruise can kill me, with the internal bleeding and all…" she trailed off.

"Oz, Galinda, I didn't know," Elphaba said. "I'm so sorry. I was so rude before, when I said that you didn't know what it's like to suffer…Oz, now I feel like an idiot."

"It's fine," Galinda said, smiling faintly. "I've had the disease for awhile now, I know I'm going to…to…to die pretty soon."

Tears started to leak out of the corners of her eyes again and Elphaba rushed forward, dropping her satchel to the floor and wrapping her arms around the petite blonde, being careful not to hurt her. "Oh, Galinda, I'm so sorry," she whispered, softly stroking her hair and rubbing her back. "And I've been such a complete…complete idiot that I've probably only made you feel worse."

They stayed like that for a long time, once enemies, now friends brought together by their peculiar diseases. Elphaba's being her aversion to water and Galinda's being the disease that attacked her blood.

Eventually, Galinda calmed down and stepped back from Elphaba, looking down at her feet in an embarrassed manner. "I'm sorry," she whispered. "For everything. I shouldn't have said all those mean things about you that I've been saying for the past two months. It's just…I had to take it out on someone, and you were the only person I could take it out on without ruining a relationship…Lurline, that sounded horrible. I'm sorry."

Elphaba gave her a lopsided grin. "It's okay," she whispered, tucking a stray piece of blonde hair behind her ear. "That's all in the past, and we've only got the present and the future to live."

"Not much of a future," Galinda mumbled, crossing her arms over her chest.

The green girl put her finger under the blonde's chin, raising her head so they were looking directly into each other's eyes. "I promise that I will do everything I can to let you live a normal life," she said.

"But why?" Galinda whispered.

Elphaba shrugged. "I just have this feeling," she answered quietly. "That our friendship…our friendship that didn't exist about twenty minutes ago, was meant to be."

"I've never had a real friend before," Galinda whispered to herself.

The green girl gaped at her. "Are you serious?"

"Yes, those girls, Pfannee, ShenShen, and Milla, they're just in it for the popularity," Galinda said. "I've never had anyone truly care for me. That's why I haven't told them about my disease. Because they would abandon me in a heartbeat."

"Well, I won't abandon you," Elphaba said.

Galinda smiled faintly. "Nor I, you," she whispered back.

They came together in a fierce hug, two college girls, throwing themselves against the forces of society, of the world, and of fate. Only time would tell if they would survive.

_**This idea just randomly popped into my head and I had to get it down before it slipped away. I'm not sure if I'm going to expand this into more than one chapter since I'm trying to focus on finishing my other story, first, but review, and if I get good feedback, I'll see what I can do for you. Thank you for reading, and once again, reviews are appreciated and recommended!**_

_**ReallyObsessiveWriter**_


	2. Chapter 2

That night, Elphaba watched Galinda as she slept, her chest rising and falling as she breathed in and out. The blonde would have been horrified to discover how she sprawled out across her bed…and the fact that she snored.

Elphaba smiled faintly. It was odd how drastically her view of Galinda had changed in such a short period of time. She wanted to credit it to the fact that she had found out Galinda had hemophilia, but she knew it was something else, something _more_.

Remembering something Turtle Heart, a Quadling glassblower who had become a key figure in her life when she was young, had said to her, she began to look at everything from a completely new perspective.

"Love and Hate are very similar," he had said. "People often get the two of them mixed up. They think they Love someone, but it is really Hate. And then there are those who think they Hate someone, when it is really Love."

"Mistaking Love for Hate," Elphaba whispered to herself. "Is it possible…?"

She shook her head, trying to cast the thoughts from her mind. There was no possible way that she could…_love_ Galinda. Not in _that_ way at least.

But looking at the blonde again, she realized her feelings towards her were a bit more than friendship. Galinda was…beautiful, stunning, gorgeous. And she, Elphaba Thropp, Third Descending of Munchkinland, Heir to the Eminent Thropp, Artichoke of Shiz University, bookworm, and Top Student, had fallen for her. Hard.

Her breath caught when she realized what was happening. She had fallen in love. And not only had she fallen in love, but she had fallen in love with e the prettiest, most popular girl at Shiz who, only a few hours ago, had been her despised enemy. And the only girl who wouldn't be looking for a relationship. Because she was a hemophiliac. And she was going to die.

Galinda suddenly stirred, moaning and sitting up. She was clutching her left knee, her face contorted in pain. Elphaba quickly shot out of bed, rushing to the blonde's side and kneeling in front of her.

"Are you okay?" she whispered. "Is there something I can get you?"

Tears were leaking out of the corners of Galinda's eyes and when Elphaba looked down at the knee she was holding, she saw that it was swelled up to twice the size it normally was. "That isn't good," she muttered to herself. "Galinda, do you want me to get you an ice pack?"

"Aren't…aren't you allergic to water?" Galinda asked through her tears.

"I've been allergic to water long enough that I can protect myself sufficiently," Elphaba said. "Now, how about that ice pack?"

The blonde nodded. "And there's an orange bottle of pills on my top shelf in the bathroom," she said. "Could…could you get me that and a glass of water? Please?"

"Of course," Elphaba said, quickly standing up and rushing to the bathroom first. She ruffled through Galinda's shelf, grabbing the orange bottle then carefully went to the sink and filled up a glass halfway full with water, making sure that she didn't get even a drop on herself.

"Here," she said quietly, handing the glass of water to Galinda. "How many pills do you need?"

"Three," Galinda said, taking the glass.

Elphaba unscrewed the top of the bottle, shook three pills out onto the palm of her hand, and handed them to Galinda. Setting the bottle on Galinda's nightstand, she headed towards the door. "I'm going to go see if I can do anything about that ice pack," she said, pulling on her boots.

She went down to the nurse's office, pushing open the door to see a middle-aged woman sleeping behind the counter. Aware that most people would be frightened if the first thing they saw when they woke up was a girl with green skin, she went back out, slammed the door closed to wake the woman up, and went back in.

"Are you really green?" the woman mumbled when Elphaba walked up to the counter for a second time.

"Yes, but that's not the issue here," Elphaba said quickly. "Could you get me an icepack for my friend's knee or a bag of ice at least?"

The woman glared at her, obviously perturbed that someone had woken her up from her nap. "Why isn't your friend here herself to get her knee checked out?" she grumbled.

"Because there's a sign on the door saying the doctor won't be in until seven o'clock tomorrow morning," Elphaba said, pointing to said sign. "It's not that bad, anyways. She just hit it falling down the stairs and it's a little bruised. It was bothering her, so I said I'd come down here and get her an icepack for it."

"Tell her to come down herself," the nurse said, closing her eyes to fall back asleep.

Elphaba crossed her arms over her chest in irritation. "Look, I came her to get that icepack, and I'm going to get that icepack whether you get it for me or not. I _will_ go back there and get it myself, so I suggest you wake up, get up off that chair, and walk back there to get me some ice."

The woman glared at her, standing up and opening the door right behind her, grumbling the whole time. She came back out five minutes later with an ice pack in her hands. Elphaba quickly took off the jacket she had been wearing, taking the ice pack with it and wrapping it up so none of the ice would touch her skin and burn her.

"What, is it too cold for you?" the woman asked scathingly.

"No, I'm just allergic to water, and that includes ice," Elphaba replied, catching the woman off guard. "Thank you for the ice pack."

She walked out of the office, leaving the woman to decide whether she had been joking or serious. Hurrying back to the room, she walked in to see Galinda had fallen asleep sitting up. She carefully set the ice pack down on the bed and gently shook the small blonde to wake her up.

"Galinda," she whispered. "I've got the ice pack for you right here."

The blonde smiled. "Thanks, Elphie," she whispered, reaching out for it, unwrapping it, and placing it tenderly on her knee.

"Elphie?" Elphaba asked, making a face.

"It's your nickname," Galinda said. "You don't mind, do you?"

"No, of course not," Elphaba said, rocking back on her heels and then sitting down on Galinda's bed. She carefully avoided the leg with the injured knee so as to not hurt her more. "When did you hurt your knee?" she asked.

Galinda swallowed thickly and looked away. "It's part of the disease," she whispered. "My joints get swollen and they hurt a lot. I'm supposed to get an infusion tomorrow to help prevent it, but it probably won't work. My blood has become mostly immune to it."

"Oh, I'm sorry," Elphaba said quietly. "Is…is there anything I can do to help you feel better? When Nessa isn't feeling good, she asks me to give her foot massages. Maybe that will help."

"That would be nice," Galinda said. "You don't have to do it if you don't want to, though."

"I want to," Elphaba said quietly, surprising the blonde.

She gently took Galinda's left foot in her hands, massaging it from the toes down to the heel and working her way back up. Doing this over and over again until she felt all of the tension release from Galinda's foot, she switched to the other one, doing the same thing. The whole time, Galinda had her eyes closed and was sighing in contentment, a small smile on her face.

"Thank you," she said when Elphaba was finished.

"No problem," Elphaba whispered.

They were both silent, looking at anything but each other. Elphaba managed to sneak a glance at Galinda, who at that exact same moment had been looking at her. They both blushed, which, for Elphaba, meant turning an even darker shade of green.

"Miss Elphaba?" Galinda asked.

"Yes?" Elphaba answered, looking at her.

"I…I…never mind," Galinda said, looking away.

"It's okay, you can tell me," Elphaba said.

"It's embarrassing," Galinda protested.

"I don't mind," Elphaba said. "I won't laugh. I promise."

Galinda swallowed and turned a deep shade of red, mumbling something.

"I'm sorry, I didn't hear you," Elphaba said, leaning in closer.

"I said I think I love you," Galinda said.

_**I'm sorry that I haven't updated for the past two days. The login part of the site has been down, and I haven't been able to get on. Thank you all for being patient, I'll try to get my updates in as soon as possible. I am open to all suggestions, comments, and positive criticism. Thank you again!**_

_**ReallyObsessiveWriter**_


	3. Chapter 3

Elphaba stared at Galinda, her mouth hanging open in shock. She promptly snapped it shut and then opened it again to speak. "What did you say?" she asked in a hoarse voice.

"I think I love you," Galinda whispered uncertainly.

"Why?" Elphaba asked.

"But…what…I thought…what do you mean _why_?" Galinda sputtered.

"Exactly what I said," Elphaba said angrily, shooting to her feet. "Why are you doing this? Are you trying to trick me again so you can expose me to the rest of Shiz? Is there anything you _haven't_ done that hasn't already humiliated me enough? Because if there is something, why don't you just ask me to parade around the halls, shouting that I fantasize about being Ruler of Oz or something!"

"Elphie, I…" Galinda started.

"And don't you _dare_ call me that!" Elphaba screamed, tears now running down her face, burning her. "You just want to suck up to me and then get a whole bunch of juicy information so you can make fun of me! I won't be the butt of another one of your stupid little jokes, Galinda Upland, I won't!"

"I'm not trying to trick you!" Galinda protested, trying to stand up but falling back on her bed because of her swollen knee. "I promise!"

"That's what you've said every other time," Elphaba said. "What makes this time any different?"

"Because I'm actually telling the truth!" Galinda exclaimed. "I swear, this isn't a trick or a joke! I promise! I'll do anything to prove it to you."

Elphaba looked at Galinda warily, sitting back down on the bed. "You're serious?" she asked quietly.

Galinda nodded and bit her lip, her eyes averted to her lap.

"If you…if you love me, then why were you always making fun of me?" Elphaba asked. "I mean, these…feelings can't have developed in the past few hours."

"I…I did like you before," Galinda mumbled. "It's just…I was afraid. I've never liked a girl before, so I made fun of you. I thought that maybe if I taught myself to hate you, then I really would. And that's why I went out with Fiyero. Because I was afraid someone would find out that I liked you."

"So…you've liked me all this time?" Elphaba asked.

"Yeah…wait, you…you're not mad at me?" Galinda asked. "You don't hate me or think I'm disgusting and gross?"

Elphaba shook her head. "No," she whispered. "I can't hate you because…because I think I love you, too."

Galinda stared at her for a moment, as if she didn't believe her. "Did you like me the whole time, too?" she whispered.

"I don't exactly know," Elphaba said. "I think I did…but I thought I hated you. A man named Turtle Heart told me when I was little that love and hate are two emotions that are very strong, so strong that they often are confused with each other. I think…I think I loved you the moment I set eyes on you, but I wasn't ready to admit it to myself. But yes, I've loved you the whole time."

The blonde moved over next to Elphaba, hesitantly taking her hand. Elphaba smiled and gave it a gentle squeeze.

Galinda eventually yawned and Elphaba stood up. "You should be getting to sleep," she said. "We have class tomorrow and you need your rest. I'll see you in the morning."

She walks to the other side of the room and sits down on her bed, her back facing Galinda as she gathered up her books and stacked them neatly on her desk. She turned around so see Galinda looking at her with tears streaming down her face.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"I just thought…that since I have hemophilia…that you won't…we can't…it won't work out," Galinda said through her tears. "I'm…I'm going to die, so we…I mean if you…if we both…"

She burst into sobs and Elphaba rushed over to her bed, sitting down and pulling her into a hug. Rocking her back and forth, she rubbed comforting circles on her back and softly stroked her hair, whispering words of encouragement in her ear.

"Galinda," she said when the blonde had finally calmed down. "I love you and I will always love you, and no disease can stop that. I will do everything I can to help you through this, I promise, and I won't stop until you're cured."

"What happens if I die?" Galinda sniffled, burying her face in Elphaba's shoulder.

Elphaba bit her lip nervously, trying to find an answer. "We don't have to worry about that," she said, "because I'm not going to let you die. I'll do whatever it takes, no matter what, to keep you alive. And no one can stop me."

"Will you stay with me until I fall asleep?" Galinda asked timidly. "I'm afraid of storms."

The green girl hadn't noticed the storm until that point, looking out the window, where rain was pattering against the glass panes, to see a bolt of lightning light up the sky, a rumble of thunder following it. Galinda snuggled down next to Elphaba, squeaking in fright, and Elphaba nodded, smiling slightly.

"That's funny," Elphaba said.

"What is?" Galinda asked, curious.

"I should be the one afraid of storms because I'm allergic to rain, yet you're the one who's begging me to stay here until you fall asleep because _you're_ the one who's afraid," Elphaba laughed. "Kind of ironic, don't you think?"

Thunder boomed again and Galinda nearly squeezed the breath out of Elphaba because she was so frightened. Gently loosening Galinda's arms from around her middle, Elphaba consented.

"Fine, I'll stay, just let me get changed first," she said, getting up before Galinda could protest. She slipped into one of her gray nightgowns and slid onto the bed with the blonde, who covered them both with her pink blankets and snuggled up next to the green girl. Soon after that, Galinda was asleep.

Elphaba knew she should get out of Galinda's bed and into her own, but she didn't have the will to leave Galinda all alone. Slowly, she felt her eyelids beginning to droop and she fell back against the pillows, asleep. The two girls lay side by side, the blonde snuggling into the bony green girl, who had her arm around the blonde's shoulders, pulling her closer.

_**Well, I hope you liked it. Thank you to all of my readers and reviewers, and please continue to review. I really value everything you have to say. I am open to all suggestions, comments, ideas, and positive critique, so keep those reviews coming! Thank you again!**_


	4. Chapter 4

Elphaba woke up to find Galinda snuggled up next to her. Carefully slipping out of the bed so as to not wake the blonde, she quickly got dressed and stood at the window, watching the sunrise. Tendrils of light began to creep their way into the sky, turning the pitch-black darkness to a dark blue, and then the normal lighter blue.

There were footsteps and Elphaba turned to see Galinda limping towards her. The swelling of her knee had gone down considerably, although she could tell that it was still sore.

"What are you doing up so early?" Galinda asked as Elphaba hurried over to her, supporting her as she limped over to a chair and sat down.

"I always get up early," Elphaba said, pulling up another chair and sitting across from her. "I'm sorry if I woke you."

"No, it's fine," Galinda said.

They were both quiet, and then: "Galinda, can I ask you a question?"

"Yeah, sure," Galinda said.

"What was last night?" she asked. "I mean…what are we? Are we just friends or are we…something more?"

Galinda stared and Elphaba continued frantically, getting up and starting to pace. "We both said that we love each other, but…are we taking that farther? I mean, I want to, but…you don't have to, I don't want to force you into anything…"

"Elphaba, you mean…you want to be…to be my, uh, my girlfriend?" Galinda asked hesitantly, blushing and staring down at her lap.

"Yeah, I mean, do you want to?" Elphaba asked in turn.

"Can I try something?" Galinda whispered.

Elphaba stopped pacing and looked at the blonde, nodding almost imperceptibly.

Galinda walked over to her, running her hands up her arms to her elbows and grasping her forearms, standing on her toes and leaning in towards the green girl. She gently brushed her lips against Elphaba's and both girls jumped back when a shock ran though their bodies.

Touching her lips, Elphaba stared at Galinda. "What was that?" she whispered.

"I don't know," Galinda replied, eyes wide.

They both stepped towards each other and they gently pressed their lips together, gasping when another shock ran though them. Elphaba gulped and stepped back.

"What is this feeling?" she asked quietly.

Galinda laced their hands together. "It's love."

"Love?" Elphaba asked.

"I love you," Galinda whispered.

"And I love you, too," Elphaba said. "But…but what are we going to do about the rest of Oz? I mean, a relationship like this isn't exactly…well, a lot of people don't approve. Your social reputation would be ruined."

"Well, I don't really care what the rest of Oz thinks," Galinda said, leaning into Elphaba.

The green girl wrapped her arm around the blonde. "My father…and my sister…" Elphaba whispered. "They would hate me. But…but I love you. I either please them and lose you, or I love you and lose them."

Galinda stepped back. "I understand," she whispered, tears in her eyes. "Family always comes first…"

"No!" Elphaba exclaimed, pulling Galinda back into an embrace. "I am not going to let them rule my life anymore. They can say whatever they want, I don't care."

"So…we're dating?" Galinda asked.

Elphaba smiled. "Yes," she whispered. "But I don't understand, do you want to be…open about our relationship? I don't mind either way."

"I don't want to have to hide anything from anyone," Galinda said. "A lot of people make fun of you, and I've barely been able to stand it before. I don't think I could endure it now that we're…together."

"I really don't care if they say things about me…" Elphaba started.

"They say horrible things that shouldn't eve be thought about," Galinda said. "It's rude, and mean, and if any professors heard them…no, I'm not going to listen to them anymore."

Galinda was getting really worked up, her eyes flashing in anger and her hands clenching into fists.

"Okay," Elphaba said soothingly, trying to calm her down. "You don't have to listen to them."

"So…are we going to go on a date?" Galinda asked excitedly, her mood changing drastically in only a few seconds.

"A date?" Elphaba asked. "I…don't know. I'll see what I can do."

Galinda hopped away from her, skipping into her closet to pick out an outfit. Elphaba shook her head, chuckling, and followed her inside to see her sitting down on the floor with a look of pain on her face, massaging her knee. She looked up at Elphaba with tears in her eyes, and the green girl sat down next to her.

"What can I do?" she whispered. "How can I help?"

"I need to get to the nurse's office to get an infusion," Galinda whimpered. "It'll help with the swelling, unless my blood has become resistant from the last time I went there. And my pain medication is still on my nightstand."

"Okay, I'll get the medication and you get dressed, okay?" Elphaba asked, and Galinda nodded, standing up and wobbling slightly. Elphaba stood quickly and steadied her. "On second thought, maybe I should stay here to make sure you don't collapse trying to find an outfit, and _then_ go get the medication."

"I'll be fine," Galinda said, although Elphaba could tell she was struggling to keep the pain from showing on her face. She decided not to comment on it and walked out of the closet, grabbing the bottle of pills and going into the bathroom to pour a glass of water.

Grabbing a glass, she turned on the tap and held the glass underneath. After it finished filling up, she turned off the water and walked back into the main room. Galinda was dressed and sitting on her bed, looking through the things on her nightstand.

"I have the medication right here," Elphaba said, handing the glass of water and three pills. "Do you need anything before we go to the nurse's office?"

Galinda shook her head and then took the pills, downing the whole glass of water. Elphaba helped her stand and then grabbed her satchel, along with Galinda's books. "Are you going to be able to walk by yourself?" she asked worriedly.

"I'll be fine," Galinda laughed. "I've done this before, carrying all my books at the same time. I had to get up earlier than I usually did because I couldn't tell my friends about my hemophilia. So I couldn't have any of them helping me carry by books to the nurse's office. Come on."

She led the way out of the dorm room and Elphaba followed her, watching her carefully, not caring what the blonde said. There was a chance that Galinda could get seriously injured because of her knee, and she didn't want that to happen.

They arrived at the office without incident, although Galinda had a few close calls as she limped along the corridors, leaning on the wall for support. She opened the door to the office and she collapsed into a chair as the nurse behind the desk smiled sympathetically.

"You brought a friend with you this time," she remarked as Elphaba hesitantly walked it, sitting down next to Galinda and setting down her satchel and Galinda's books. "I told you your friends wouldn't abandon you if you told them that you had hemophilia."

Galinda stared at the nurse, wide-eyed. "This, um, is…this is, uh, Elphaba Thropp, my, um, girlfriend," she stuttered, averting her eyes on the word 'girlfriend.'

The nurse's smile widened. "Good for you," she said. "The doctor is ready for you, he was expecting you a little later, but he can take you right now. Would Miss Elphaba like to come with you?"

"Elphie, do you want to stay out here?" Galinda asked, turning to the green girl.

"What do you want me to do?" Elphaba asked. "I can stay out here if you don't want me in there with you, and I can go in if you do want me in with you."

"Come with me," the blonde said, standing up, and Elphaba stood with her, putting a supporting arm around her waist. They made their way after the nurse and into the exam room where a doctor was standing at a counter with a series of injections laying out on the counter.

"All of those in the same visit?" Elphaba whispered.

Galinda nodded. "It's fine," she whispered. "Some of it is the stuff that will help my blood clot, some of it will take down the swelling, and the rest will help with the pain. I get the injections two or three times a week. Today is just a few more."

"How are you doing today, Miss Upland?" the doctor asked, turning to Galinda. "Who's this? I am Doctor Ryes."

He held out his hand and Elphaba took it, shaking it firmly. "I'm Galinda's roommate," she said.

"And my girlfriend," Galinda volunteered, jumping onto the table and rolling up the sleeve of her blouse for the injections.

Elphaba blushed and looked away. The doctor laughed. "Go ahead and sit next to her," he said, picking up one of the injections. "She usually gets a little emotional during these visits, and there's never been anyone here to comfort her. I'm sure she'd appreciate some."

The green girl carefully sat next to Galinda and the blonde interlaced their fingers, squeezing her eyes shut as the doctor gave her the first injection. Five injections later, a few tears had leaked out from under her eyelids and Elphaba was gently wiping them away with the corner of her sleeve.

"It's okay," she whispered. "It's almost over, it'll be alright."

Galinda whimpered at the last shot and then snuggled up to Elphaba, who bundled her up into her arms, whispering comforting words in her ear and stroking her hair comfortingly. The doctor caught her eye and smiled at her, nodding encouragingly.

"You can go as soon as she's ready," he whispered. "Just make sure she can only take her medication every eight hours and not to take it for another four. Thank you for coming in here with her. You have no idea how much this means to her."

Elphaba just nodded and continued to comfort Galinda until she stopped crying and calmed down. "Are you ready to go get breakfast?" she whispered, drying her eyes with her sleeve. "Or do you want me to take you back to the room and just bring breakfast up myself?"

"Let's go down to the cafeteria," Galinda said, smiling slightly. "Thank you, Elphie, for not getting upset when I told the doctor and the nurse that…that we're…"

"Dating," Elphaba finished, also smiling. "Come on, we've still got the Pfannee, ShenShen, Milla, and all the others to face."

The blonde's face fell. "I had forgotten about them," she whispered.

"No matter what they say, I'll always be here for you," Elphaba said. "I'll be right there beside you. And if you want, we don't have to tell anyone, everything can go back to the way it was outside of our room."

Galinda shook her head. "I need to do this," she said.

"Okay," Elphaba said, standing with her and they kept their hands clasped together, walking out of the examination room, grabbing their stuff in the waiting room, and walking out of the door, going to face the world that would most likely ridicule and insult them for who they truly are.

_**I am really, really, really sorry for not updating for the past week. I have honestly been trying, but a combination of writer's block, drama, and life catching up to me has really set me back. It took me awhile to get this chapter out because of my writer's block and the lack of time I've had to write it. Thank you for being patient with me. I don't know when I'm going to be able to update next, but I'll try to as soon as I can. Please review, and thank you again for sticking with me!!!**_

_**ReallyObsessiveWriter**_


	5. Chapter 5

_**Here's the next chapter. Hope you enjoy it!**_

They stopped in the hallway just outside the cafeteria, watching their fellow classmates talking, laughing, and eating. Galinda looked up at Elphaba and the green girl gave her a small smile of reassurance. "We can still go back," Elphaba whispered.

Galinda shook her head. "I need to do this now, or I'll never be able to do it."

She pulled Elphaba forward, stepping into the cafeteria and grabbing Elphaba's hand in her own. Everyone stopped talking and laughing and stared at them unbelievingly.

"Is this some joke?" Pfannee asked, stepping forward.

"No," Galinda said, her eyes flashing with defiance.

Fiyero was staring at their entwined hands, a look of amusement on his face. "Is this how you recover from me breaking up with you?" he asked, grinning. "You take the first person who'll have you? Does she know what you told me? Does she know that you have hemophilia?"

Galinda gasped as people started to whisper about what Fiyero had just said. Elphaba pulled her closer and glared at the prince, daring him to say anything more. He cringed under her fierce gaze and tried to make himself disappear.

"You have hemophilia?" Milla asked quietly.

The blonde nodded hesitantly.

"How come you didn't tell us?" ShenShen asked. "We would have never become friends with you if you had told us. Do you know how this reflects on our reputations? What would have happened if you had died while we were still friends with you?"

"Maybe this is exactly why she didn't tell you," Elphaba said. "Because you all have a certain image of someone you can be friends with. If they have even one minor flaw, then they're automatically deleted from your list of acquaintances."

Pfannee snorted. "Oh, yeah, are you complaining about why people don't want to be friends with _you_?" she asked, and everyone started to laugh.

"No, I honestly don't care what people think about me," Elphaba shot back.

"Yeah, we can tell by the way you dress," ShenShen said, drawing more laughter from the crowd of students who had gathered around to view the confrontation.

"At least she doesn't try to make herself look like everyone else by masking layers of makeup on her face," Galinda retorted, making ShenShen blush and everyone stare at the blonde with surprise.

"Are you two seriously friends?" Milla asked.

Elphaba and Galinda glanced at each other. The green girl shrugged her shoulders at Galinda's questioning look. "I don't care if you tell them," she whispered. "I just don't want you to be hurt when they start…ridiculing you. You can't backtrack once you tell them."

Galinda opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out and people began to mutter theories to each other. Suddenly, she turned to Elphaba, stood on the tip of her toes, and kissed her gently on the mouth. Elphaba stared at her in shock, not expecting Galinda to have _shown_ everyone their relationship.

There was a stunned silence as everyone, including the people handing out the food at the cafeteria counters, stared at them in disbelief. Fiyero looked victorious as he grinned at them with an "I told you so" look in his eyes. Elphaba glared at them all defiantly as she gathered Galinda close to her, extracting her hand from Galinda's to wrap it around her waist.

"You're joking, right?" Pfannee asked with a hesitant smile on her face. "You can't be serious. No one wants to be with that…artichoke."

"I do, and I am," Galinda said.

People started laughing, pointing, and making fun of them and Galinda reddened.

"I can't believe it!" someone shouted. "Galinda likes girls!"

"What I can't believe is that Galinda likes _her_!" someone else shouted.

"What's this?" someone asked, and Elphaba turned to see Nessa sitting in her wheelchair behind them. "Elphaba, what are you doing with Galinda like that? Do you know how you look? What would Father say?"

"I don't care what Father would say," Elphaba said defiantly, looking her appalled sister in the eyes. "This is my life and I can live it however I want. I don't want you and Father ordering me around anymore, Nessa. I'm nineteen years old, I can live for myself, and that's what I'm going to do."

"This is getting interesting," Fiyero murmured. "Does anyone have a video camera? You know what would be funny? If Boq walked in right now and found out that Galinda and Elphaba are dating."

"Elphaba, is that true?" Nessa asked, a look of horror on her face.

The green girl nodded. "Yes, and it isn't any of your business."

"You know what the Unnamed God has to say about this!" Nessa yelled. "Do you know what's going to happen to you because of this? And Galinda? I've been trying to save your soul…"

"I have no soul, Nessa!" Elphaba yelled. "Can't you understand when someone doesn't want you to preach to them about your stupid religion? You've never listened to me, Nessa, never! It's always been about you, how many people you can save before you can die, and your stupid prayer sessions aren't about everyone else, they're about you!"

"How dare you," Nessa said coldly.

"Oh, I dare," Elphaba laughed humorlessly. "I am not going to have you bossing me around anymore. You have a perfectly good life here. People are taking care of you. You don't need me anymore, and I don't need you. I think that was apparent from the second we stepped foot here."

"And what's that supposed to mean?" Nessa asked, rolling herself forward.

Elphaba shook her head. "We were never as close as you thought we were," she said. "I was your slave. Anything past that, we had no connection at all, other than our blood ties. Since I am refusing to be your slave any longer, we have nothing that brings us together. This is goodbye, Nessa."

She turned to Galinda who was crying as students laughed and pointed at her. "Do you want to leave?" she whispered.

Galinda nodded. "Can we just go to the seminar?" she whispered.

"Of course," Elphaba said, keeping her arm around her waist and walking her down the hallway towards their first class.

"Elphaba, you get back here right now!" Nessa yelled.

"One moment," Elphaba said. "Are you going to be okay for a few seconds, apparently my sister does not get what I said."

The blonde nodded and Elphaba dropped her satchel, taking her arm from Galinda's waist and facing Nessa. "Nessa, I think you momentarily went deaf when I said that I am not going to do what you say anymore," she said.

"If this is the way you're going to act, then you are no longer part of our family," Nessa said boldly. "You can leave Galinda and come back to the Unnamed God, or you can leave his doctrine and will, along with Father, Shell, and I, and go with her. I'll pray for you to make the right decision."

The wheelchair bound girl clasped her hands together and bowed her head, her lips moving silently as she prayed to the Unknown God. Elphaba only rolled her eyes, turned her back on her sister, and hurried to Galinda's side, escorting her from the cafeteria.

"I'm sorry that that happened," Elphaba whispered. "Are you sure you want to go to class today? I could take you back to the room and we could stay there. I could go to all of the professors later and get the work we missed."

"Yeah, I think I'd like that," Galinda whispered, tears still streaming down her face. "I didn't think they'd respond like that."

"It's going to be okay," Elphaba whispered, trying to calm her down. "They don't matter. It's okay. I love you, and that's all that matters right now."

They left the cafeteria, Galinda more hurt than she had suspected to be and Elphaba more determined to be with her through everything she went through.

_**Thank you all for reading, and thank you to all my reviewers! Please continue, I really appreciate all the feedback I get. I'm open to all suggestions. Thank you once again!**_

_**ReallyObsessiveWriter**_

3


	6. Chapter 6

"I'm so sorry," Elphaba said, stopping just around the corner of the hall that led to and away from the cafeteria. "If I had known that I my sister was going to be there, I would have warned you about what she was going to say."

Galinda melted into Elphaba, sobbing on her shoulder. The green girl wrapped her arms around the blonde, pulling her as close as she possibly could and rocking her back and forth.

"Excuse me, Miss Elphaba and Miss Galinda," someone said, and Elphaba looked up, a sharp retort ready to drop from her lips when she saw Boq standing in front of them with her satchel in his hands.

"Oh, hi Boq," she said, keeping one arm around Galinda and taking her satchel with the other.

"What happened?" he asked in a concerned tone.

"People are stupid," Elphaba muttered, slinging her satchel over her shoulder and wrapping her other arm around Galinda.

"What'd they say?" Boq asked angrily, his hands curling into fists at his sides. "And who said it? I'll go beat them up…"

"That's not necessary," Elphaba said quickly. "And you should probably know the whole story before you do anything about it. You'll probably end up hating me by the end."

"Why?" he asked.

"Galinda and I are dating," Elphaba said quickly.

Boq stared at them, a look of astonishment and disbelief on his face. "Are…are you serious?" he asked with a hesitant smile. "You have to be joking, right?"

Elphaba looked at him seriously and shook her head. Boq stepped back, eyes widening. "No, Galinda, you can't see more in…in…in _her_ than you see in me," he said, pointing at Elphaba with a shaking finger. "I mean, really, she's _green_ for Lurline's sake! Am I really that bad?"

He realized what he said and blushed, backing away and bumping into the wall, shaking his head frantically. "Galinda, do you realize what you're doing?" he asked. "You're ruining your whole life!"

"Leave her alone!" Elphaba hissed, eyes hard. "Don't you dare insult her in any way, or I will make sure that you never insult her again, or even think about insulting her!"

"Fine," he said, setting his jaw. "You two have fun with your relationship, and Galinda, once you're finished with this…this disgusting situation, then I'll be here waiting for you to repent. And Elphaba…artichoke, don't you ever speak to me again."

"Boq," Elphaba whispered. "Do you realize what you're doing? You're hurting her even more then the people out there did."

He shook his head even more. "No, that's not Galinda you're holding right now," he said. "You've changed her somehow. They were all right about you, I should have listened to them before I started to spend a lot of time with you. You're some wicked witch who's come to bewitch everyone!"

Elphaba physically flinched and Galinda began to sob even harder. "Fine then," Elphaba said. "Turn into one of _them_. I just want to make something clear. If I even hear a rumor about any of you _approaching_ Galinda with bad intentions, I will personally hunt you down…"

"Please," Galinda said, looking up at Elphaba with a tearstained face. "Just let it go, Elphie. I just want to go back to the room."

"Yeah, _Elphie_, she wants to go back to the room," Boq snarled, walking away.

The only thing restraining Elphaba from running after Boq and beating him into a motionless heap was the small, sobbing girl in her arms. She stored all of her emotion into the back of her mind with the exception of her love and took Galinda's books from her arms, bundling her up and taking her back to their room.

"Elphie, what if Madame Morrible finds out?" Galinda wailed once the door was shut and locked behind them. "What if she writes my parents? How will I explain everything to them? They think I hate you."

"Hush, my sweet, it's going to be fine," Elphaba said, gathering up the blonde into her eyes, ignoring the sting of her tears leaking through her blouse and onto her skin. "We'll deal with things as they come. They're only going to get better, I promise. I'll take care of everything, I'll deal with Madame Morrible, and I'll talk to your parents if you want. Okay?"

Galinda nodded into her chest and began to calm down. There was a knock on the door and both girls looked up, fearing the worst.

"Miss Elphaba, Galinda, it's me, Milla. I'm sorry about what happened down in the cafeteria. I want to talk to you. I understand if you hate me right now, but at least listen to what I have to say."

"Go into the bathroom just in case she has someone else with her," Elphaba whispered, pushing Galinda gently towards the bathroom. "I'll call you out if it's only her, okay?"

She nodded and went into the bathroom, closing the door behind her. Elphaba went to the door and opened it, surprised to see that it really was only Milla standing outside the door. "What do you want?" she asked as kindly as she could, which was in a monotone voice.

"I'm sorry about the cafeteria," Milla said. "I…I'm not brave like you, so I didn't stand up for you, but I support you guys. Being together, I mean. I saw what happened in the hallway between you and Boq, and I'm sorry about that, too. My sister is a hemophiliac, and one of my best friends in Tenniken is gay."

"You're not just trying to get in here to get information to feed to everyone else?" Elphaba asked doubtfully.

Milla shook her head. "No, I'm not, I promise. No one…no one even knows I'm here because I was afraid they would kick me out of their social group. I'm a wimp…"

"At least you're honest," Elphaba said, opening the door for Milla to come in. "But if I find out that you are tricking us…"

"Elphie, please, I really don't like it when you threaten people," Galinda said, coming out of the bathroom. "Hi, Milla, how are you?"

"I'm fine," Milla said, looking Galinda up and down worriedly. "Are you feeling okay? You aren't looking too good."

Galinda swayed on her feet and Elphaba rushed to her side, steadying her and helping her over to her bed to sit down. She knelt in front of her. "Are you okay?" she asked quickly. "Do you want me to get anything for you?"

"Elphie, your hands," Galinda whispered, picking up the spidery, green fingers and tracing the red marks. "What happened? How did you hurt yourself?"

"Water," Elphaba murmured, pulling her hands back and crossing her arms so Galinda couldn't see them. "Milla, do you think you could get Galinda a glass of water really quick from the bathroom? I'm sorry that I'm asking, but I don't want to leave her after everything's that's happened…"

"Of course," Milla said, nodding, walking out of the room and into the bathroom.

"I thought you said you were careful around water," Galinda said.

"Your tears," Elphaba said softly. "I couldn't just…it would have been selfish for me to not comfort you just because I was going to get a minor burn from your tears. It would have been stupid."

"I did this?" Galinda asked, pulling Elphaba's hands back into her lap.

"Galinda, don't stress over it," Elphaba said at the sad look in the blonde's eyes. "They'll heal in a few days and there won't even be any scars, trust me. You don't need anything else to think about right now, okay?"

"But…"

"Please, Galinda, promise me you won't dwell on it," Elphaba said.

"Fine," she sighed as Milla walked into the room with a glass of water, handing it to Galinda.

"Drink that glass of water," Elphaba said, standing. "I'm going to get something to eat for you. Milla, would you mind staying with her until I get back?"

"Elphaba, I don't need a babysitter," Galinda protested.

"How are you feeling?" Elphaba asked.

"A little tired and sore, but…"

"And when was the last time you ate?" Elphaba interrupted.

"Yesterday at lunch, but…"

"And how much sleep have you gotten in the past week?" Elphaba interrupted once again.

"About twenty hours, but…"

"And how much of that was from last night?" Elphaba asked.

"Eight hours, but…"

"I've just proved my point," Elphaba said.

"Would you let me finish a sentence?" Galinda said, standing up. "Elphaba, I appreciate all the support you've been giving me, but you're being really overprotective, and I'm nineteen years old. I don't need someone to watch me every second of the day. True, I can be a little insecure and need someone to be with me during those times, but that isn't every second of the day. I think I can last without someone's company for fifteen, twenty minutes."

Elphaba sighed. "I'm sorry," she said quietly. "It's just that I don't know how long I'm going to be gone because everyone is most likely still down in the cafeteria, and that's just a confrontation waiting to happen."

"Oh, do you want me to come down with you?" Galinda asked.

"No, this is something I have to deal with, because I can guarantee my sister is still down there, waiting for me to come back and repent," Elphaba said. "And there's bound to be a big crowd down there waiting to see what happens. I'll come back up as soon as I can, okay?"

Galinda nodded and Elphaba kissed her gently on the forehead, pulling her in for a hug and then walking out the door towards the masses of people who hated her even more because of her and Galinda's announcement just a few minutes ago.

_**Thank you all so much for reading my story! I really appreciate all of the reviewers! Please continue to give feedback. Until next chapter!**_

_**ReallyObsessiveWriter**_

4


	7. Chapter 7

_**Thank you all for reading this! Before this chapter, I want to make a couple things clear. This is a cross between the book and the musical, although it isn't really like either of them other than the fact I've borrowed the characters and some of the settings. Nessa cannot walk, but she's very highly religious. Fiyero's a bit different because he's popular from the start (unlike the book) and he really **_**IS**_** deeply shallow. Boq…well, he's A LOT different. Elphaba's father is a traveling preacher, although he is currently living at the Thropp mansion in Nest Hardings, and her grandfather is the current Eminent Thropp. Madame Morrible and the Wizard don't play a very big part, and Shell doesn't really play much of a part right now, either. If there are any questions, just ask.**_

Elphaba hesitated outside of the cafeteria, then, for the second time that morning, stepped inside. At first, people didn't notice her, but then everything went quiet as everyone turned to stare. Some people were looking at her in the disgust. Or, most people were looking at her in disgust.

"You've finally come back!" Nessa exclaimed, still sitting in the exact same spot Elphaba had left her in, except that she had crossed her arms over her chest and she had an irritated look on her face. "I expect that you've had a talk with Miss Galinda and told her that your relationship was despicable and disgusting."

"No, I didn't have that kind of talk with my _girlfriend_," Elphaba said. "I was trying to comfort her about all of the horrible, narrow- and single-minded things you said. Do you know how insulting you were?"

"The only thing I know is that Father disapproves of relationships such as yours and Miss Galinda's and that he's going to pull you out of school as soon as he hears about this," Nessa said angrily.

The green girl crossed her arms over her chest, quirking an eyebrow. "And how is he going to find out about mine and Galinda's relationship?" she asked. "You aren't going to write to him, are you? Because you know what happens when I get…upset."

"Are you threatening your own sister?" Nessa asked incredulously.

"I don't know, are you insulting the only person who has ever accepted me for who I am?" Elphaba retorted. "She is the only person who has ever, in all the nineteen years of my life, who has actually looked past what she sees on the outside and loved me for who I really am."

"_I_ loved you!" Nessa yelled. "Are you really so blind that you didn't think that I loved my own sister?"

"The only reason you love me is because of your _stupid_ religion!" Elphaba sneered. "Because the 'Unnamed God' you believe in _commands_ you. If it said in your religious books that you have to hate all green-skinned people, would you hate me, even if I were your sister?"

Nessa was silent, which conveyed her answer to Elphaba and to the rest of the people in the cafeteria watching.

"Oz, she _would_ hate her sister!" someone yelled.

"She is one religious freak!" another person said.

"At least I'm going to live with the Unnamed God when I die!" Nessa yelled, turning her wheelchair around to face the crowd. "And who do you like better? Me, or the green-skinned freak?"

This shocked not only the crowd of students, who had only known Nessa to be a kind, if not religiously strict, girl who never damned anyone, but also Elphaba. While she had been annoying with her religious nagging, Nessa had never outright insulted her with such harsh words. She quickly hid her feelings as the wheelchair bound girl turned to look at her with a triumphant smile.

"If you think that's going to convert me, you're wrong," Elphaba said as nonchalantly as she could. "I've had people calling me far worse things than that, and you know that."

"You know, Elphaba, I thought that I could actually help you by praying for you, but I think Father was right when he said that you're the devil in human form," Nessa said scathingly, facing her sister once again. "I should have listened to him."

"And I should have listened to grandfather when he said that you aren't suitable for the Governorship of Munchkinland," Elphaba said angrily. "Oh, wait I did listen, and I have accepted the title of Eminent Heir, so there! You will never become Eminent Thropp, and that's final!"

Shock and hurt flashed across Nessa's face until it hardened into a mask of anger. "You think you're so smart, Elphaba Thropp!" she yelled. "You distance yourself from every relationship that anyone's ever tried to have with you so you don't get hurt! And let me say this, Galinda is going to hurt you, and there's not going to be anyone to comfort you, because you've alienated everyone who loved you!"

"Galinda is not going to hurt me!" Elphaba said, stepping forward. "You're just angry because any love life you've pursued has failed!"

"Actually, I want to ask Miss Nessarose if she would like to go out on a date with me sometime," Boq said, stepping forward. "I used to like Galinda, but now that you've irrevocably changed her to fit your disgusting habits, I've realized how beautiful, smart, and amazing Miss Nessarose is."

"Boq?" Nessa asked, her face lighting up. "Of course I'll go out with you."

He grinned and turned towards Elphaba, his facial expression changing instantly to disgust. Opening his mouth to say something, he decided against it and walked away.

"You see, Elphaba, I _do_ have someone who loves me," Nessa said smugly.

"He's only doing that because he's upset that I'm with Galinda," Elphaba said. "Nessa, I don't want this to come between us. I still want to be sisters and friends, but you have to be accepting of Galinda and I being together."

Nessa immediately shook her head. "The only way I'll ever talk to you again is if you abandon that…that…that horrible girl and come back to the way of the Unnamed God. You make your choice right now. If you come back to the Light, then I will forget any of this every happened. But if you continue to walk in the Darkness, then I will never talk to you again and I will forget that you are even related to me."

"I think you know what my answer is, Nessa," Elphaba said, shaking her head. "I told you before, you aren't going to live my life for me anymore. And if that means I lose you as a sister, so be it."

"I _will_ be writing Father, though," Nessa said.

"And once again, as I told you before, Father can't pull me out of school because he doesn't even pay for it," Elphaba said, grinning. "Grandfather does, and _he_ wants me to get a good education so I can become a good Governor. You don't have anything against me, Nessa, nothing."

"Fine," Nessa said, turning around her wheelchair.

Elphaba strode over to the cafeteria counter, grabbing some food, handing the woman at the cash register some money, and walking as quickly as she could out of the cafeteria. Some people tried to block her way, but she brushed past them, knocking many of them to the ground. People laughed as she practically ran away.

She pounded on the door to her room and Milla opened it, a look of shock her on her face when she saw tears running down Elphaba's cheeks. She pushed past the startled girl and strode into the room, setting down the food and heading towards the bathroom.

"Elphie, wait!" Galinda called, standing up and rushing after her. "Please, talk to me, tell me what happened?"

"I think I'll go," Milla said quietly. "I'll see you tomorrow in class, Galinda. I'll tell the professors you're sick and Elphaba is taking care of you."

Galinda nodded her thanks, but kept her eyes on Elphaba's. "Elphie, please, tell me what happened. Maybe I can fix it, or at least try to help."

"It's just people being stupid," Elphaba whispered, carefully dabbing her face with her sleeve to get the tears off with minimal harm. "And my sister is one of them, of course. Nothing much, I'm fine, Galinda, perfectly fine."

"I'm not the only one being hurt by this," Galinda said, taking Elphaba's hands into her own and looking up at her. "You're hurt, too, and this won't be a fair relationship if you're the one focusing on me and only me. We need to spend time on you, too. I admit that I might need more comfort than any normal person would, but I don't want this to be all about _me_. I want it to be about _us_."

Elphaba kissed Galinda gently and smiled. "Okay," she whispered. "It'll be about us, then. Let's start today."

"I think I like that idea," Galinda said, also smiling. "I like it a lot."

_**Once again, thank you all for reading, and please continue to review! I really appreciate it!**_

_**ReallyObsessiveWriter**_


	8. Chapter 8

"So what is this all about?" Galinda asked, sitting Elphaba down on her bed and sitting down next to her. "What are these tears for?"

"It's just…I don't know. I've never broken down like this before," Elphaba whispered. "Nothing has ever affected me like this. I think…maybe it's the combination of seeing people being mean to you, Boq, one of the only people who have accepted me, rejecting me, and my sister disowning me."

Galinda gently traced the tears marks on her face with the tips of her fingers. "It's okay to cry," she said quietly.

Elphaba swallowed with difficulty, looking at Galinda with tear-filled eyes. "That's the problem," she said. "It isn't okay to cry. Not for me, at least. It never has been. First of all, the tears burn my skin. It's like I have a built-in mechanism that tells me that showing any kind of emotion is wrong."

"Oh, Elphie," Galinda whispered, but Elphaba continued.

"On top of that, I've always been taught that I can't show my emotions because it's opening a door up into my mind," she said. "I am going to be the next Governor of Munchkinland, and if I'm going to be an effective ruler, I have to learn how to control my emotions and stuff them away in the dark recesses of my mind so my enemies can't use them against me.

"And, of course, I could never be upset in front of Nessa or Shell. If something went wrong, I had to pretend that everything was okay. We never mourned for my mother. It was as if my father had forgotten she had even existed. Shell doesn't even know about her."

She was silent and when Galinda didn't respond, she stood up quickly to go into the bathroom. "I shouldn't have said anything," she whispered.

"No, Elphaba, come back," Galinda said, standing up and grabbing her by the arm to spin her around. "I'm sorry; I just didn't know what to say. But I want to work through this with you. I…I love you, and I'm not going to let you suffer alone."

Elphaba smiled weakly and pulled Galinda towards her, looking down into her eyes. "Galinda, it's really hard for me to share my feelings like that," she said. "It's going to take time for me to get used to a relationship where I can count on someone to keep my secrets. Let me get used to it, give me time. I promise I'll be able to open up, just give me time."

"I'm not going to force you to tell me anything," Galinda said. "I just want you to know that I'm here for you and I support you. It just seems like you're so used to caring for other people that you don't really pay much attention to your own needs, and I don't want this to become like that."

"How about we go off campus today since we've decided not to go to classes," Elphaba said after a few minutes. "I can guarantee that no one will be looking for us, and if they are, we most likely won't want to talk to them. We can eat breakfast out instead of eating…that."

She pointed at the stack of toast and bowl of fruit on the plate she had brought up and grimaced.

"Like a date?" Galinda asked, her eyes wide with excitement.

Elphaba gave her a small smile. "Yeah, like a date," she said. "Now why don't you go get ready really quick and I'll grab my coat."

Galinda pecked her on the cheek and headed into her closet and Elphaba watched her go with a grin on her face. No matter what anyone said, she would love Galinda with all of her heart.


	9. Chapter 9

Elphaba waved down a carriage and opened the door, helping Galinda inside and climbing in after her. She shut the door and gave instructions to the driver along with half of the required payment. The carriage started to roll forward and Galinda took Elphaba's hand, lacing their fingers together.

"Where are we going?" Galinda asked, leaning her head on Elphaba's shoulder. "I don't recognize the street address you gave to the driver."

"You've never been there?" Elphaba asked, arching her eyebrows. "Oh, wait, you've probably never been to that part of the city. Have you ever been anywhere other than the expensive boutiques and shops in the more advanced part of the city?"

"No," Galinda said, looking up at Elphaba. "Everyone always said that it was dangerous downtown and to never go there without an escort. No one has ever offered to escort me downtown, so I've never bothered to go there. I didn't want to get hurt."

"Well, you've missed the best part of the city," Elphaba said, grinning. "And you won't get hurt as long as you don't wander into the wrong parts of the city. There are places in the better parts of the city that are more dangerous than most of the inner city. I think you're going to like this."

The carriage came to a stop and Elphaba handed the rest of the payment to the driver, opening the door and jumping down. Turning around, she helped Galinda down and shut the carriage door, watching it disappear down the street before turning to the row of shops where they had been dropped off.

"Elphie, where are we?" Galinda asked, clinging to her arm as she looked around with a terrified expression on her face. "I've never been here before."

"You're not going to get hurt," Elphaba smiled, removing Galinda from her arm and wrapping an arm around her waist. "Just stick with me and you'll be fine. We're not even going to go into a dangerous part of the city. Come on, I'm hungry, and that means you must be, too. I have the perfect place to eat."

She led her down the sidewalk, avoiding most of the vendors with practiced ease and warding the others away with small smiles and gentle shakes of the head. Finally arriving at her destination, she stopped in front of a small café and led Galinda inside, holding the door open for her and escorting her to a small table in the back.

"What is this place?" Galinda asked as she looked around. The café was small, but someone had obviously put a lot of effort into it in order to make it look presentable. Pictures had meticulously been painted on the walls, the tiles of the floor had been arranged to create a picture of a lion, and each table had tiles arranged in an array of pictures, a pane of glass laid over the top to protect them.

"It's a little café, obviously, called Le Soleil Brillant," Elphaba said, pulling out a chair for Galinda to sit down in and then sitting down herself. "Personally, I think it has the best food in the city, but that, of course, is my personal preference. They serve breakfast and lunch, but are, unfortunately, closed for dinner. The owner is a man named Phillip, who is an excellent chef."

A young man walked out from behind a door and made his way over to their table, a smile coming to his face when he saw Elphaba. "Ah, Miss Elphaba, back again?" he asked, grabbing two menus from a stack on a table and setting one in front of Elphaba and Galinda. "And you've brought a friend, I see. Who might this young, lovely lady be?" He bowed and took her hand in his, kissing it gently.

"That, Master Phillip, is my _girlfriend_, Miss Galinda Upland," Elphaba said, smiling slightly when the man's eyes widened at the word 'girlfriend.'

"I had no idea," he said quickly. "I apologize for my actions. My intentions, I assure you, were not of a romantic nature. That is just the way we greet our people where I come from."

"Gillikin?" Galinda asked, raising her eyebrows slightly.

"How did you know?" he asked excitedly, bouncing on the balls of his feet, a grin spreading over his face.

"I am also a native to Gillikin," she said, bowing her head formally. "I am from the Upper Uplands, hence my last name. And my mother's maiden name is Arduenna, descended from a long line of Gillikinese witches. I take pride in my heritage."

"It's so nice to meet another of Gillikinese heritage," Phillip said excitedly. "I'm sorry, I would love to continue this conversation, but I left my apprentice in the kitchens by himself making an omelet, and to tell you the truth, I don't trust him much. He can be a bit clumsy. Not unlike our Elphaba, here."

He turned on his heel and disappeared behind the door once again, and they heard a loud bang and a lot of swearing. A few moments later, Phillip poked his head out of the door. "Just ignore that," he said. "He's just…never mind. I'll be with you in a moment."

"What was he talking about when he said that you were clumsy?" Galinda said, picking up her menu and opening it.

Elphaba sighed and rolled her eyes, also opening her menu. "He has to mention that every single time I come here," she muttered. "The first time I came here, it was quite crowded and I was trying to make my way to the back where there was an empty table. On the way back, someone tripped me, most likely Phillip himself, and I knocked a glass of water all over my arm. I burned myself quite badly and he has never let it go. That man gets quite a kick out of it."

"Well that's rude," Galinda said, looking up from her menu. "Did he even apologize?"

"It's a joke, Galinda, a joke," Elphaba said reassuringly. "At the time he was very worried. There weren't any lasting effects of the burning and I had to practically do a workout to assure him that I wasn't going to die. He is still very careful with water around me."

"Well I should hope so," Galinda huffed, going back to her menu. "Who knows what could have happened? You could have been killed."

"A little overprotective, are we?" Elphaba said, grinning and looking up from her menu. "Galinda, you know I'm very careful around water and I would never do anything reckless around Phillip, considering what happened here before. I'm very well protected, there's no need for you to worry."

"I guess I _am_ being silly, aren't I?" Galinda smiled, her eyes meeting with Elphaba's. "You can take care of yourself."

"Are you ready to order something to drink?" Phillip asked, suddenly appearing beside their table. "Miss Galinda?"

"Um, uh, I don't know yet," the blonde said, looking back down at her menu, blushing. "How about you order first, Elphie?"

"Black coffee, made with milk instead of water," Elphaba said, looking up at Phillip. "Make sure that it's made with milk. I know that _apprentice_ of yours can be, what was the word, _forgetful_. Don't let anything happen this time, please."

Phillip blushed and hastily scribbled something in his notepad, nodding and murmuring to himself. He then turned to Galinda and looked at her expectantly. "Are you ready to order, Miss Galinda?" he asked.

"I'll have a glass of orange juice," she said, looking up from her menu and flashing him a dazzling smile. "Now what is this about your apprentice being forgetful? I don't want anything bad to happen to Elphaba."

"There was a mix-up last time, that's all," Phillip said, hurriedly stuffing his pen and notepad into his apron and walking away quickly. "I'll be right out with your drinks!"

Galinda turned to Elphaba and the green girl sighed. "He was telling the truth, there was a mix-up," she said. "I ordered a coffee with milk instead of water and he accidentally gave me the coffee that the person at the next table over had ordered. Fortunately, I spilled it on my hand before I drank it, or else I would have burned my insides from the water."

"It seems like he's trying to kill you," Galinda said. "Why do you keep coming back here after all of this stuff happens?"

"First of all, because Phillip was the first friend I made after I came to Shiz University," Elphaba said, which made Galinda bite her lip guiltily and look back at her menu. "Second, because this is the best food on or off campus. And he's apologized several times and even tried to offer me money. I refused, of course, but occasionally, he'll give me a free meal, and I enjoy those surprises."

"So, you're living off free meals?" Galinda asked.

Elphaba laughed and shook her head. "No, I've got plenty of money," she said, closing her menu. "In fact, I have too much, due to my family's standing in Munchkinland and the fact I barely have to pay anything to go to Shiz because I have multiple scholarships. But it's funny having Phillip trying to convince me to have a free meal, and then giving in at the last minute, to his surprise. I always end up leaving a fairly large tip, though. Are you ready to order?"

"No, sorry, I'll just choose something…" Galinda said quickly.

"Take your time, we're not in a rush," Elphaba said gently. "We can stay as long as you need to."

Phillip once again appeared by their table with their drinks, setting a mug of coffee down in front of Elphaba and a glass of orange juice in front of Galinda. "Are you ready to order?" he asked, pulling out his pen and notepad.

"Yeah, I'll have pancakes, remember, no water," Elphaba said, handing her menu to Phillip after he took her order.

"I'm still looking," Galinda said, glancing up at Phillip briefly.

"I'll go put in your order, then, Elphaba," Phillip said, turning to leave.

"No, just wait until Galinda's finished," Elphaba said, making him turn around.

He stood there uncomfortably for a few seconds. "So…when are you leaving for Munchkinland to begin training to become Eminent Thropp?" he finally asked.

Galinda looked up in surprise at Elphaba, who, in turn, glared at Phillip. "Galinda, are you ready to order?" she asked.

"Yes, I'll have the three cheese omelet," she whispered, handing her menu to Phillip, who walked away, mouthing his apologies to Elphaba. She just shook her head and glared at him.

"What did he mean by asking when you're leaving?" Galinda asked.

Elphaba sighed. "My grandfather wrote three weeks ago and wanted me to come home after the term was finished to begin my training as Eminent Thropp," she said, looking down at her placemat. "I didn't know whether or not I wanted to, so my grandfather wants me come and visit during winter break and talk to him about my options."

"So…you're going to leave after the term is finished?" Galinda asked, tears in her eyes.

"No, of course not," Elphaba said. "First of all, I'm not even halfway through my education, and I would never leave you. I love you, and I'm going to stick with you for the rest of my life, no matter what. My grandfather will understand my decision. In fact, you can come with me, if you want. He won't mind."

"Would he approve of…of us?" Galinda asked uncertainly.

"He has to," Elphaba said. "I've already accepted my appointment of Heir to the Eminent Thropp, and nothing can stop me from becoming next Governor of Munchkinland unless I die or I refuse the position, neither of which are going to happen. If he publicly disapproves of me, but I go on to become Eminent Thropp, it that will reduce the amount of support he gets from the Munchkinlanders."

"I don't know," Galinda said, looking down at her lap. "Your sister didn't seem too please about us, and she said your father wouldn't be pleased, either. Wouldn't your grandfather share their views?"

Elphaba shook her head. "No, he's my grandfather on my mother's side and thoroughly disapproves of my father's…practices. My grandfather is a strict atheist and doesn't believe in anything that spouts out of my father's mouth, which can really benefit me sometimes since we live with my grandfather in the Thropp mansion."

"What about your mother, then?" Galinda asked.

"Oh, um…she won't mind, I'm sure," Elphaba whispered, picking up her fork and turning it over in her fingers.

"What do you mean?"

"She's, um, she's dead," Elphaba whispered.

"I'm sorry," Galinda said quickly. "I didn't know…I wouldn't have asked…"

"No, its fine," Elphaba said, looking up and smiling faintly. "I didn't know her that well anyways. She died soon after my brother was born, and she never really liked me, anyways. Why don't we just forget all of this and continue with our day? I don't want anything to ruin this for you, and talking about my dead family certainly doesn't cheer people up."

A boy about fifteen or sixteen years of age came out with their food and set it in front of them, giving a small wave to Elphaba and then staring at Galinda in amazement. Phillip came out a few minutes later and dragged him back into the kitchen, giving another apologetic look to Elphaba.

"She's _really_ pretty," Elphaba heard the boy say before he disappeared into the kitchen.

Galinda blushed and started to eat as Elphaba smirked at her. "I have to agree with him, though," Elphaba murmured. "You _are_ beautiful."

She blushed even darker and focused on eating. When they finally finished, Phillip came out, trying to convince Elphaba that he would give her both meals for free. She refused, taking some money out of her pockets and handing it to him and insisting that he keep the change.

"I could have helped pay," Galinda said as they walked out of the café.

"No, this is my treat, _I'm_ taking _you_ out on the date, and that means I pay," Elphaba said, lacing their fingers together. "Now, do you want to go back to the room or do you want me to show you around?"

Galinda looked up at her. "I want to see everything around here," she said. "I've never seen this part of town, and I want to know what you like to do and where you like to go."

Elphaba grinned and kissed her gently. "Let's go, then," she said, leading her down the street.

_**Hey guys, I'm sorry that I haven't updated in so long. I was dealing with some personal issues, which I have mostly straightened out right now but I'm still dealing with. I'll try to give you another chapter today, and if not today, then tomorrow. Please, please, please, PLEASE review, it's really appreciated. Thank you all for hanging in there, and once again, I apologize for not updating.**_

_**ReallyObsessiveWriter**_


	10. Chapter 10

_**Okay, guys, here's chapter ten. I was **_**going**_** to put it up last night, but I fell asleep while writing it and woke up a little late this morning, so…here you go!**_

Elphaba led Galinda down the sidewalk, occasionally stopping at a vendor's cart to talk with the owner or point something out to Galinda. The blonde had a smile permanently plastered to her face, which just made Elphaba even happier to have thought of bringing her downtown. Slowly making their way down the street, they arrived in front of a large theater where men and women were streaming in.

"What's playing?" Galinda asked interestedly. "It looks like this one is pretty popular."

"Here, I'll ask," Elphaba said, letting go of her hand to talk with an attendant who was holding one of the theater doors open. She came back a few minutes later, taking Galinda's hand once again.

"It's a musical called _Forbidden Love_," she said, pointing at the sign just inside the doors. "The attendant said that it was about a girl and a boy who fall in love, but the girl is shipped off to some distant country, the Vinkus, I think, as a present to the king there. She's supposed to be Gillikinese. It sounds pretty good. Do you want to see it?"

"But, Elphie, we don't have tickets," Galinda said. "You would have had to get them weeks in advance. And, no offense, but you don't seem like the kind of girl who would go to see a musical by herself."

"Do you want to see it?" Elphaba repeated, looking down at Galinda. "I can get us in, if you really want to see the musical."

"Well…I don't want you to spend too much money on me," Galinda said.

"That means you want to see it," Elphaba said, pulling her towards the theater, nodding politely to the attendant as they passed through the doors.

When they passed into the main hall, Elphaba led Galinda off to the left and to a small door, engaging the attendant there in a hurried conversation before he unlocked the door and opened it for them. Another attendant on the inside led them up a flight of stairs before opening another door into a hall and another into a small space containing four seats that was closed off from the rest of the seats around them. The attendant nodded to them politely and closed the door behind them.

"Elphie, where are we?" Galinda asked, sitting down in one of the chairs, Elphaba sitting next to her soon after.

"This is my family's private theater box," Elphaba said, standing up once again and taking off her coat, setting it on the empty seat to her left. She took Galinda's coat and set it on top of her own. "It is at our disposal at any time we wish. Most of the attendants can identify me, since I'm green, and my sister, since she's in a wheelchair, so we usually don't need any identification to get in. And we can bring up to three people with us, sometimes more, if we warn them ahead of time."

Galinda looked down at the first floor seats and hurriedly pushed herself back in her own seat. "Too high," she whispered when Elphaba looked at her questioningly. "I don't like heights."

"I'm sorry," Elphaba whispered, putting an arm around her shoulders and pulling her close. "Here, the orchestra is tuning up, that means its about to begin. If you need anything, just tell me and I'll have the attendant get it, okay?"

The blonde nodded into Elphaba's shoulder, and then the lights dimmed and the curtains began to open slowly. Both girls diverted their attention to the stage where figures were beginning to move. A few seconds later, the whole stage was lit and the characters started to twirl across the stage in colorful costumes, singing the opening song.

The intermission came and the curtains closed, the main lights of the theater turning on so everyone could see their way out of the room to take a short break. Elphaba turned to Galinda who was looking at her excitedly. "This is so exciting!" she exclaimed. "I've never been to see a musical before! What's going to happen?"

"Honestly, I have no idea," Elphaba said, smiling back at her. "And even if I did know, I wouldn't tell and ruin it for you. Are you hungry? Thirsty? Do you want anything? I can go have the attendant get something for you if you want."

Galinda shook her head. "No, I'm fine," she whispers, leaning her head on Elphaba's shoulder. "So, is this how you live when you're back in Munchkinland? Do you have private theater boxes and restaurant owners at your disposal?"

Elphaba's smile faded. "My life in Munchkinland is…different. I live a life of royalty and have people at my beck and call," she said, shaking her head. "People show up in front of our property, begging for money, for food, for a doctor so their daughter can be healed. In Munchkinland, I'm more like a celebrity, not a real person. No one knows me for who I am there; they all think I'm just the Heir-Apparent and that my life goal is to rule Munchkinland."

"What is your goal?" Galinda whispered, lacing their hands together and looking up into her eyes.

She looked down at Galinda and kissed her softly. "I want to live a normal life, or as normal as it can get when you're green," she whispered. "I want to go to school, to Shiz, and walk around the corridors as a student, not as Heir-Apparent. I want to stay up late talking with friends and get up in the morning just in time to get dressed and dash for class. I want to walk along the streets, laughing at some stupid joke. I want to grow old and live in a little cottage with someone I love, and I know loves me back."

Turning towards the stage, her voice hardens. "But I can't have that," she said. "I can't be normal. Not only because I'm green, but because I'm the stupid Heir to the Eminent Thropp. Nessa would be suited better for this job, but I have to take it, or I would disgrace my family. It's a duty, and that's all I'm good for, living up to expectations as best as I can."

"That can't be true," Galinda whispered, turning to face her completely. "Your family loves you…"

"My family consists of me, Nessa, my father, and my little brother," Elphaba interrupted. "You saw how Nessa reacted to us being together. Multiply that by twenty thousand, and you get my father. And my brother…it doesn't matter what he personally thinks because my father will never allow me to see him again."

"You two are close?" Galinda asked. "You and your brother?"

Elphaba sighed and nodded. "Yeah," she said, grasping Galinda's hand even tighter. "It was just the two of us, though. No one liked me because I was green, and no one really paid any attention to him because he was a boy."

Galinda looked at her oddly. "Why because he was a boy?" she asked.

"It has to do with tradition in Munchkinland," Elphaba said, pulling her hand out of Galinda's and pulling her knees to her chest, wrapping her arms around them. "Instead of boys being the heirs and the 'strong one' in the house, it was always the women. I don't know why, that's just how it is. So that means that the Governorship gets passed on through the women in the family."

She was quiet for a moment, and then went on. "My mother never wanted daughters because she didn't want us to be burdened with the Heir-Apparent title," she whispered. "In a way, she was glad that I was green because she didn't think that my grandfather would name me Heir-Apparent. The same with my sister, because she couldn't walk."

"That's horrible," Galinda whispered, her face screwed up in sympathy and horror. "Who would wish something like that for their children?"

"Meet my mother," Elphaba laughed humorlessly. "She was disappointed when my grandfather came down to our cottage on my fifteenth birthday and offered me the title. My brother had been born five years before, and my mother had decided not to have any more children. Because of that, my grandfather had to settle for the least of the messed up children…which was me, because I could still function properly. I just had a 'skin problem.'"

Elphaba sat up. "I should stop talking," she said quickly. "This is way too depressing. I said I would stop talking about my dead family, and here I am, going on about my mother. Let's just…forget I ever said anything, okay? I just want you to have fun today. You deserve it."

"Elphie…" Galinda protests.

"No, we can talk…later," Elphaba whispers, bringing her hand to her lips and kissing her fingers. "The show's about to start again. Just relax and enjoy it. We'll talk later, tonight, okay?"

Galinda nods reluctantly and Elphaba puts an arm around her shoulders as the lights in the theater dim, the orchestra starts to play, the curtains open, and the figures on the stage once again begin to move. Elphaba glances at Galinda a few seconds later and chuckles when she sees that she has her eyes glued to the stage, completely mesmerized.

"So how did you like it?" Elphaba asked as they walk out of the theater, hand in hand.

Galinda's eyes are shining and she's bouncing up and down in excitement. "It was wonderful, amazing, _perfect_," she yelled, drawing stares from the people around them. "I can't believe I've never been to a theater before. This has been the best day in my life!"

"Really?" Elphaba asks, surprised. "You aren't just saying that?"

"No, why would I just randomly say that?" Galinda asked, stopping in her tracks and looking up at Elphaba.

Elphaba shrugged. "I don't know, to make me feel good," she said. "I want this to be the best date you've ever had. You deserve so much better than what everyone else has given you. And I want to show you that."

"Elphie, if you took me to the most disgusting bar in the most dangerous part of the city and we sat next to the most disgusting man in the world, I wouldn't care," Galinda said, turning to face Elphaba. "I love you, and I'm not going to leave you just because we go on a date that isn't the most brilliant in the world. And you don't have to worry about impressing me, either. You could leave everything here, and I would be ecstatic."

"Do you want to go back to Shiz?" Elphaba asked. "There's more I could show you, but it involves a lot of walking around, and I don't want to tire you out too fast. We can grab something to eat really quickly and we can have dinner in the cafeteria or in our room later."

"Yeah, let's go back to Shiz," Galinda said, and they walked down the sidewalk, hand in hand.

_**Hope you guys liked it. I'm seriously going to try to get the next chapter up today, and, knowing me, I'm probably going to fall asleep at the computer again. Please review, everything you say is appreciated!**_

_**ReallyObsessiveWriter**_


	11. Chapter 11

_**Sorry that I didn't update right away. I think I'm just going to try to update once or twice a week. If I update more, then I'll be proud of myself. And if I update less… please, please, PLEASE don't kill me. Well, here's the next chapter, hope you like it!**_

They got back to Shiz an hour before classes let out, so very few people were wandering the campus, and even fewer stared at them as they made their way to their room holding each other's hand.

Once they got to their room, Galina shimmied out of her coat and threw it on the back of a chair, collapsing back onto her bed with a contented sigh. Elphaba just shook her head, grinning at her girlfriend and hanging her own coat up.

"Hey, Elphie?" Galinda suddenly asked, sitting up.

"Yeah?" Elphaba responded.

There was no response. Elphaba turned around to see Galinda lying on her bed, apparently asleep. Screwing up her face in confusion, Elphaba made her way to Galinda's side. It wasn't possible that the blonde could have dropped off to sleep like that, no matter how tired she was.

Touching her lightly on the shoulder, she tried to wake her, but the blonde didn't move. "Galinda?" she whispered. "Galinda, wake up, please wake up."

The blonde didn't move. That's when Elphaba spotted the large bruise on her arm, just protruding from under her sleeve. She pulled the sleeve up and gasped at what she saw. The bruise extended up her arm, and pulling the sleeve back more, up to her shoulder and down her back.

"Oz, I need help," she whispered to herself, her eyes widening with panic. "She's going to die, Oz, she's going to die. No, no, Elphaba, shut up and get help. Galinda, I'll be right back. She can't even hear you. Oh, just shut up and go."

She darted from the room, leaving the door swinging open behind her. No one was around, everyone was still in classes. Everyone except… except Fiyero, who was walking towards her slowly, a grin slowly growing on his face as he noticed the worried expression Elphaba had.

"What is it, greenie?" he taunted as she came to a stop in front of him, panting for breath. "What are you looking for? Did Galinda abandon you?"

"It… its Ga… Galinda," she panted, leaning down on her knees. "She… she's not… wa-waking… waking up."

His expression changed from amused to worried. "What do you mean she's not waking up?" he asked. "What happened? Does it have to do with her hemophilia? Where is she? Come on, let's go! Take me to her!"

Fiyero's reaction confused Elphaba, but she would take any help she could get, even if it was from him. She turned around and started to run back to her room, Fiyero barely able to keep up with her. Stopping in front of her door, she turned in, kneeling beside the bed Galinda was lying on. The blonde hadn't moved since she had left her.

"It's the bruise," Elphaba whispered once she started breathing properly. "I don't know where it came from. It wasn't there before, I've never seen it before now, but her body can't heal herself. I think its spread. Fiyero, I don't know what to do."

"Try to wake her up," he said, after staring a moment at Galinda. "Get water…"

"I'm allergic," Elphaba interrupted. "I can't touch water because it burns me."

"Then I'll get it," Fiyero said, heading towards the bathroom. "Go get a doctor…"

"I can't leave her!" Elphaba exclaimed. "I'll get the water, I'll manage. You go get the doctor. Here, I'm getting the water, move, you idiot. Go get the damn doctor!"

Fiyero stared at her for a moment before running out of the room. Elphaba kissed Galinda gently on the forehead before running into the bathroom and getting a glass of water along with a cloth. Walking as fast as she could without spilling the water, she dipped the end of the cloth in the glass and flicked the water on Galinda's face. It had no effect on her.

"Fine, if that's the way you want to be," Elphaba muttered. Taking the glass more firmly in her hand, she dumped the contents on Galinda's head.

The blonde gasped as she came back to consciousness and started to sit up, but fell back weakly. Elphaba threw the cup to the ground, not caring that it shattered against the wood floor, throwing tiny pieces of glass all over the room.

"Don't try to move," she said, sitting down next to Galinda. "You're going to be fine. Fiyero is going to get a doctor."

"What happened?" Galinda whispered.

"You… you passed out," Elphaba said, drying Galinda face with the sleeve of her shirt and wiping her hair out of her eyes. "I didn't know what to do, you wouldn't wake up. I ran and I ran, but everyone is still in classes. Then Fiyero was there, teasing and taunting me, and when I told him… he was worried."

The last statement was a whisper. "How… how exactly did Fiyero break up with you?" she asked.

"He said that he still loved me," Galinda said slowly in a whisper. "But that his parents… his parents would never allow him to marry me because he needed a healthy wife. He was going to be king and he needed a healthy queen. And he said he would always love me, no matter what. That whatever he said in public didn't matter. And that he wished… he wished I would find someone I would be happy with."

"Of course, he still loves you," Elphaba said quietly.

"But I don't love him," Galinda said desperately, trying to sit up again. "Elphie, I… I love _you_, not him."

"Shh, I know," Elphaba said comfortingly, pulling Galinda into her arms gently, trying not to touch the bruise. "It's alright. He's helping us, helping _you_, and that's all that matters, okay? Don't worry yourself about it. Everything is going to be fine."

Galinda nodded weakly and leaned her head on Elphaba's shoulder, closing her eyes for a moment. "I'm so tired," she whispered.

"Stay awake just for a little while longer," Elphaba said, grasping her hand. "Fiyero will be here soon with the doctor. And then you can sleep."

And then Fiyero appeared in the doorway, followed by some nurses pushing a gurney. Galinda opened her eyes and whimpered when she saw it, but Elphaba whispered comforting words in her ear.

"What happened?" one of the nurses asked.

"She just passed out," Elphaba said, reluctantly relinquishing Galinda to the nurses, who gently lifted her onto the gurney. "It was unexpected, there weren't any signs before that she was drowsy or weak. She has hemophilia, though. There's a bruise on her arm, shoulder, and going down her back. I don't know how big it is."

"That makes this more complicated," another of the nurses muttered. "We're going to have to take her to the hospital, run some tests. When was the last time she had an infusion?"

"This morning," Elphaba automatically said, her fear for Galinda's life growing. "Is she going to be okay?

She had passed out again and the nurses were desperately trying to revive her. No one answered her.

"Answer me!" she screamed, and the nurses and Fiyero turned to her in surprise. "I… I can't… can't lose her," she whispered, tears streaming down her face and burning her skin. "Just tell me, is she going to be okay?"

"We're taking her to the hospital immediately," the first nurse said. "You can come with us, since you're her roommate. And you, young man, are you her boyfriend? If so, you can come with her, too. Just two people, though."

He glanced over at Elphaba, who was staring at him with disbelief, and shook his head slowly. "No," he said. "I'm… I'm just a friend. Galinda wouldn't want me there, anyways. Elphaba, you go ahead. You can tell me what happens later. I'll stay here for awhile and if anyone comes for you or Galinda, I'll tell them where you've gone."

"Thank you," she whispered before leaving with the nurses and Galinda.

Galinda was rushed out to an ambulance and to a hospital. All the way to the hospital, Elphaba sat by her side, holding her hand. When they got to the hospital, the nurses rushed Galinda inside, Elphaba following close behind, always keeping her eyes on the passed out blonde.

They passed through several swinging double doors until they came to an operating and examination room, where Galinda and all but one of the nurses went through. Elphaba made to follow them but the remaining nurse held her back.

"The doctors are going to try and figure out what's wrong," the nurse said quietly. "I suggest that you wait in the waiting room. If you insist to watch, there are observation windows just around the corner here that I can show you. Once the examination is finished, I'll have the doctor come and tell you what's going on with your friend."

Elphaba nodded and followed the nurse to the observation windows, watching as the doctor and some nurses started to examine Galinda. She had been changed into a hospital gown. When her back was revealed, almost half of it was covered in a dark blue bruise. And for the first time in her nineteen years, Elphaba prayed.

_**To be honest, that chapter totally surprised me. I had no idea that that was going to happen. I just know how this story is going to end, not what's going to be in between. Sorry to leave you without knowing what happened to Galinda, but I just HAD to leave it there. Hopefully I'll be able to update before the end of this week. Until then, REVIEW, REVIEW, REVIEW. Any thoughts or comments are much appreciated, and if you have any questions, just e-mail or pm me.**_

_**ReallyObsessiveWriter**_

3


	12. Chapter 12

_**I honestly didn't expect to get this chapter up this soon. Maybe I'll actually have a chance to post another chapter before the end of the week. Well, here you go, hope you enjoy, AND DON'T FORGET TO REVIEW! Thanks! ; )**_

Elphaba watched as the doctor slowly walked out of the examination room and out the door. Walking to the door herself, she found him massaging his forehead with his fist and muttering incomprehensible words to himself.

"Um, excuse me," she said quietly, and he looked up, startled.

"Ah, you must be the young lady's roommate," he said, his eyes sweeping from her head to her feet and back again. "You are…?"

"Elphaba Thropp, Third Descending of Munchkinland, Heir-Apparent to the Eminent Thropp," she replied hastily, knowing that her title would get her a little more respect and clarity from the doctor. "And I have been anxiously awaiting news of my friend's condition for over an hour and would really appreciate it if you told me what's going on with her."

His eyes widened and he stared for a moment before he started talking. "I assume that you know your friend has hemophilia, a genetic disease of the blood?" he asked.

She nodded impatiently, gesturing for him to go on.

"Well, it seems that she has it more severely than we have ever seen before," he continued, looking down at the clipboard in his hand. "What caused her fainting was the large bruise on her arm, shoulder, and back. This was caused by a much, much smaller bruise on her shoulder, perhaps from bumping something lightly, nothing big. Her blood didn't clot and it just kept flowing, somehow spreading out under her skin, perhaps breaking a few more blood vessels."

"And the infusions didn't help at all?" Elphaba asked. "You see, she had her infusions earlier today. Her knee was bothering her and all, and it felt better afterwards, the swelling went down and I thought everything was going to be fine. I wouldn't have taken her into town otherwise. Is there anything I could have done to prevent this?"

The doctor looked sympathetic. "No, there is nothing you could have done to prevent this," he said quietly. "It was going to happen eventually, and unfortunately it happened sooner rather than later. We drained the blood out of her that made up the bruise, we didn't want it to infect. That would just everything worse. The infusions no longer work, and past that, we can do nothing but try to make her as comfortable as possible, give her some blood to compensate the blood she lost, and wait for her to heal enough to leave the hospital."

"Is there nothing that will help her get better?" Elphaba asked desperately, eyes wide and pleading. "Perhaps a treatment, medicine, some time of therapy? Even some sort of… magic perhaps?"

"No," he said quietly, and, taking her by the hand, he pulled her away from the door. "We have researchers working right now on a cure for this disease," he murmured, glancing around the hallway. "Your friend, Miss Galinda Upland, has very wealthy parents and has ordered research to be done, but quite frankly, I don't think any cure will be found in time to save her."

"To…to save her?" Elphaba whispered. "What do you mean to save her? You're talking as if she's dying."

"I'm going to be straightforward with you, Miss Thropp," he said. "Miss Upland here dying and quite soon she will be unable to get around by herself. I'll give her… two months at the most, where she can get around without assistance. In that time she will have many more fainting spells, perhaps become short of breath, her joints will ache, headaches, and the like. I don't expect her to last the full two months."

Elphaba stood there, stunned, and the doctor took her silence as a sign for him to continue.

"After that period of time, she will either have to remain on bed rest, or, preferably, come here to the hospital to maintain a permanent residence," he said. "She may last… oh, two, three weeks on bed rest before she slips into a coma. I have no idea how long she will be in the coma, but that will be the last stage of this horrid sickness, unless some miraculous cure is found. After that… the worst."

She swallowed with difficulty past a lump that had somehow appeared in her throat. When Galinda told her that she was going to die soon, even after she told her that she had hemophilia, she hadn't expected _this_ soon. Ten years, maybe five at a minimum, had crossed her mind, but not _months_. Did Galinda know? Was she holding it back, masking it behind a façade of happiness?

"Does…does she know?" she asked quietly, glancing at the door as it was pushed open from the inside, the hospital bed with Galinda on it being pushed through by two nurses.

He shook his head. "I suspect she knows that she doesn't have long to live," he murmured. "But she doesn't know that she has only months and I suggest that you keep it that way. Knowledge like that can shorten the amount of time she lives, ruin her health, and ultimately drive her towards insanity. Best to keep it between the two of us, for now, and her parents when they come."

"No… no, she can't die," she whispered, tears leaking out of the corners of her eyes and burning her skin as they rolled down her cheeks. She furiously wiped at them, trying to prevent any damage, but it was already done. The doctor looked surprised.

"Are… are you two close?" he asked.

"The closest you can get," she whispered.

He nodded understandingly. "If… if I understand you right, my daughter… I'm very open-minded just so you know."

She looked surprised. "Today… today was our… our first date," she whispered.

"Oh, my dear, what a terrible thing to happen," he murmured. "My… my daughter is now married to a young lady. They've recently adopted a little girl, two months old, abandoned by her parents, the poor thing. But I'm terribly sorry about what you two have to go through so early on in your relationship. Will you… will you stay with her or…?" he trailed off.

"I won't leave her," she snapped at him, taking him by surprise once again. "I'm not a weak fool who takes advantage of others. She would do the same for me, I know she would, and I won't abandon her when she needs me most. Thank you for your explanation, sir, and if you have half a mind, I suggest that you keep all parts of this conversation to yourself, am I understood?"

It looked like he was going to argue, and then he realized once again who he was talking to and straightened up, nodding crisply. Elphaba brushed past him, following the route that the nurses had taken with Galinda, asking an occasional doctor where she was headed. Most of them didn't know, but she finally got one who led her right to the room.

She stood in the doorway for a moment, out of sight of the bed so she could gather her wits, and then walked into the room. Galinda was sitting up, supported by a mound of pillows, a needle in her arm that was attached to a tube filtering some liquid into her system.

"Elphaba?" she asked when she entered the room.

"Yes," Elphaba said, kneeling beside her bed. "How are you feeling?"

"Tired," Galinda whispered, looking at her drowsily. "You were crying. There are marks on your face. Why were you crying?"

"You gave us quite a scar, my sweet," she whispered, taking her hand into her own and lacing their fingers together. "I didn't know what to do when you outright fainted on the bed. If it hadn't been for Fiyero, I'd probably still be running around Shiz right now screaming for help."

"Fiyero helped?" Galinda asked, suddenly wide awake.

"Yeah, I told you that he was going to get a doctor," Elphaba said worriedly. "Don't you remember that?"

Galinda shook her head. "No, I don't. Did he say anything? Did he want to come in the ambulance?"

"I… I think he did," Elphaba said hesitantly. "But when the nurses offered, he refused. He seemed to think… that he didn't really belong with you."

The blonde sighed in relief. "Good," she said, relaxing against the pillows again. "I don't want him to get any ideas. He was a real jerk."

"What did he do?" Elphaba asked.

"Just the reason he broke up with me," Galinda said, shaking her head. "I mean, I expected some sort of reaction, but nothing like that. _You_ didn't abandon me when I told you that I'm a hemophiliac."

Elphaba smiled. "We're going to get through this, Galinda, I promise," she whispered, squeezing her hand gently. "Don't worry about anything else, I'll take care of it. Just focus on resting, okay? Resting and getting better."

Galinda nodded. "You know, that's one of the reasons I fell in love with you," she whispered.

"What?"

"You're… always so nice," Galinda said tiredly, closing her eyes. "You were always nice to your sister even though she didn't treat you as a sister. And Boq never had anything bad to say about you. And that day that you found me crying… instead of turning me away or laughing at me, you hugged me."

"My reputation is going down the drain, isn't it?" Elphaba said jokingly, and Galinda smiled slightly.

"No, everyone else is just as afraid of you as they were before," Galinda said, yawning. "Probably more afraid since you'll blow their heads off if they even breathe in my direction. You're secret's safe with me."

She fell asleep, snoring lightly, and Elphaba gently wiped a stray strand of hair out of her face, kissing her gently on the forehead. "Thank Oz you're okay now," she whispered. "Because my reputation would definitely be ruined if you were gone. I'd probably melt because I would cry so much."

But the blonde slept on, oblivious to what Elphaba had just said, smiling slightly as Elphaba kissed her on the forehead once again.

_**Awww, cute. I really love Elphaba and Galinda's relationship. It seems like they've been together for months when they've only officially been dating for a day. I don't know how I managed to come up with that. Well, as I said before, I'll try to get the next chapter up before the end of the week, but I can't guarantee anything. It'll be up by the end of next week by the latest, although I don't want to leave you guys waiting that long. Reviews are appreciated and preferred. I really like to hear suggestions, thoughts, and comments. If you have any questions, e-mail or pm me. I'll be happy to answer anything. Well, all I can say is until next chapter, and remember to review!**_

_**ReallyObsessiveWriter**_

4


	13. Chapter 13

_**Again, I didn't expect to get this chapter up this soon. I'm going to be going out of town tomorrow night, all of Saturday, and coming back Sunday afternoon, so I most likely won't be posting another chapter unless I get it written out tonight and post it early in the afternoon tomorrow. So I'll be posting another chapter next week. Until then, enjoy the chapter!**_

Elphaba had fallen asleep in a chair next to Galinda's hospital bed. She snored softly with her chin resting on her chest, completely unaware of the man and woman standing just inside the door of the room.

The man put his hand on Elphaba's shoulder and she started, jumping out of her chair and whirling around to face the couple. The man was tall, with curly, dark hair, dancing blue eyes, slim, and dressed well. The woman was shorter, with straight blonde hair, pale skin, a delicate figure, and also dressed well.

"My name is Edwin and this is my wife Selena," the man said, his eyes running Elphaba up and down. "We are Galinda's parents. You must be Elphaba."

She nodded and he once again looked her up and down. "How did you know about Galinda?" she asked.

"We came on a visit to surprise her," Edwin said sadly. "She had told us what building she was rooming in, Crage Hall, and her room number, so we went to the room, but the only person who was there was a young man with diamond tattoos. He told us that Galinda had been transported to the hospital, so we immediately came here."

The woman, Selena, looked at Elphaba with cold eyes. "We appreciate that you've been sitting with our daughter, but we can take it over from here," she said, not bothering to mask the contempt in her voice. "I understand that you and Galinda don't get along very well."

"Actually…" Elphaba said.

"Elphie, who're you talking to?" Galinda moaned, interrupting her, and Elphaba turned quickly, kneeling by the bed and taking her girlfriend's hand in her own.

"You have a couple visitors," she whispered. "Here, I'll leave the room so you guys can talk privately."

"No, Elphie, don't leave," Galinda whimpered as Elphaba stood up, so she sat down and moved as far off to the side as she could while still keeping a hold on Galinda's hand. Galinda gasped when she saw her parents and a smile spread over her face. "Momsie? Popsicle?"

"Yes, my dear, it's your Momsie and Popsicle," Selena said, rushing forward and pulling Elphaba into a gentle hug. Edwin wasn't far behind. "Now what is this with you calling this young lady Elphie? I thought you two didn't get along."

"No, we _used_ to not get along," Galinda said. "You see, Momsie, Popsicle, Elphie… I mean Elphaba and I… we're dating."

There was a stunned silence before Selena turned towards Elphaba. "I apologize for my rude behavior before," she said. "I didn't realize… I'm sorry."

Elphaba stared at Selena, open-mouthed. Never before had she had someone apologize to her for speaking to her rudely. Moreover, this was Galinda's mother, who had just found out that she and Galinda were dating!

"Excuse me, Elphaba, would you mind if you left the room for a moment so we can speak to Galinda?" Edwin asks, and she nods, pulling her hand from Galinda's grasp, standing up, and leaving the room, shutting the door behind her. This is more of what she expected. A private talk with Galinda to tell her that dating a girl, and even more, a _green_ girl, is wrong and that they expect her to break up with Elphaba at once.

She stood outside the room, leaning against the wall across from the closed door. A few minutes later, the door opened and Edwin came out, quietly closing the door behind him. He didn't look angry or disapproving, so Elphaba was a little hopeful, but she was still wary of him.

"Elphaba Thropp, Third Descending, Heir-Apparent to the Eminent Thropp, am I correct in naming your full title?" he asked, standing casually next to her as she turned to look at him.

"Yes," she said. "But you can just call me Elphaba if you would like. I really don't care."

He looked at her with raised eyebrows. "I always thought that the Heir-Apparent of Munchkinland would be more formal," he said.

"That's more of my sister," Elphaba said. "Of course, she doesn't approve of… of my relationship with Galinda, so she doesn't speak to me. If I were more formal, then I wouldn't be dating your daughter."

"I wouldn't call your sister formal simply because she doesn't approve of you and Galinda," he said, crossing his arms over his chest. "I would simply call her close-minded and prejudiced."

"You mean… you don't disapprove, either?" Elphaba asked.

He shook his head. "No, I don't disapprove," he said. "Actually, I'm happy for you and Galinda. I just want to make sure that you have her interests in mind and just aren't using her for something. I don't know what you would use her for, considering you have money, you're in the line to inherit power, and you're at the University that gives the best education in Oz."

"I think… that if I _were_ using Galinda, which, I assure you, I'm not, that I would be using her… so I could feel loved," Elphaba said slowly, looking down at her feet as she thought. "There are very few people who have ever loved me in my life, and most of them are long gone or have abandoned me. If I had a chance to feel love, I would do almost anything to earn that person's love."

"Would you give them love in return?" Galinda's father asked.

"Yes," Elphaba said, looking up into his eyes. "If that was what required to have someone love me, then I would love them. But it doesn't matter with me and Galinda, because we both love each other, and I would do anything for her, even if she didn't love me in return."

"Those are heavy words," he said quietly after a moment. "There is a heavy price that must be paid for loving someone who doesn't love you back."

"A price?" Elphaba asked.

He nodded. "Yes, the price is heavy because you have to watch them every day and know that they don't love you in return," he said. "You have to see them be happy with someone other than yourself. You have to pretend that you don't love them when you really do. You have to pay the price of a broken heart."

Elphaba looked at him cautiously. "But that doesn't pertain to me and Galinda, does it?" she asked. "We both love each other."

"Yes, now I am certain that you love her just as much as she loves you," he said, smiling slightly. "I just want to warn you of one thing, though, before you start getting into a serious relationship with her. This is for both her protection and yours, because I don't want either of you getting hurt in the future."

"Okay," Elphaba said warily.

"By now, you probably know that Galinda has hemophilia," Edwin said. "What you most likely don't know is that it isn't a normal case of hemophilia. We've gone to multiple doctors and sorcerers, but nothing has worked to even clot her blood for a short period of time. Infusion don't work. In the next three to four months, she will be forced to permanently reside in a hospital, and not long after that, she'll die. If you can't handle any of that happening, then I suggest you go explain it to her right now so you don't leave her when she needs your support the most or you don't break down later on."

"I'm not going to leave her," Elphaba said stubbornly. "No matter what happens, I'm going to be there right by her side. And if I have to, I'll find a way _myself_ to cure her, no matter what the cost is."

"That's what I'm afraid of," he whispered, worry clearly showing in his eyes. "If you do something irresponsible, and the price of the risk is your life, then Galinda will be devastated, even if she's healed. Sure, she'll be healed, but if she truly loves you, which I believe she does, then she won't have the will to live herself."

"Then I'll have to make sure that I don't die," Elphaba said. "Mr. Upland, I don't think you understand. I can't live without Galinda. If she dies, that it will be the same for me as it would be for her if I died. I can't just stand by and steadily watch her getting weaker and weaker until she slips into a coma and finally passes away. I'm going to prevent that from happening if I can."

"All I'm asking is that you aren't irresponsible," he said. "Make sure that what you're doing won't hurt her and won't hurt you. Now, why don't you go in there and tell Galinda that I haven't murdered you. She was afraid that I would be too hard on you."

"Thank you, Mr. Upland," Elphaba said, turning towards the door and quietly opening it, walking in to see Galinda speaking with her mother. Her face immediately lit up when she saw Elphaba and Selena turned and smiled at her.

"Elphie, you're okay," Galinda said as Elphaba made her way to her bedside and kissed her gently. "When Popsicle found out that I was dating Fiyero, he came all the way to Shiz to interrogate him and scared the wits out of him. Apparently, it wasn't enough because Fiyero still dumped me."

"Galinda, dear, your father and I are going to go eat dinner," Selena said, standing up. "We'll be back later tonight to talk to the doctor about you going back to your dorm room."

"Okay, Momsie, I love you," Galinda said as her mother leaned forward and kissed her lightly once on each cheek. Her father gently embraced her and they left the room, closing the door behind them.

"What do you think of my parents?" Galinda asked anxiously. "Popsicle wasn't mean to you, was he? And you didn't think Momsie was rude, did you?"

"Your parents seem like very nice people," Elphaba said with a small smile. "I look forward to getting to know them better. Your father seem likes a very philosophical man and I really look forward to having some in-depth conversations with him. I just regret that my father won't be as open-minded as your parents are."

"Oh, don't worry, I'm sure that he'll be fine with it," Galinda said. "I mean, your father _has_ to love you."

Elphaba opened her mouth to say something, but closed it, thinking better of it. If she said something now and got Galinda upset, then her recovery would be hindered, and Galinda was fairly happy at the moment. She was already sitting up without assistance and some color was returning to her cheeks.

"What is it?" Galinda asked, tilting her head to the side in curiosity.

"Nothing," Elphaba said, clearing her mind of her thoughts. "Just staring off into space and thinking… you'll find that I do that a lot."

"Oh, okay," Galinda said happily. "I think I'll be able to come back to the dorm room tonight, once the doctor comes and sees me again. They're going to try and develop a stronger infusion so this doesn't happen again, but in the meantime I'm going to have to be really careful."

"How _did_ you get that bruise?" Elphaba asked.

Galinda shrugged. "Honestly, I have no idea," she said. "I don't ever remember bumping into anything, or any pain. It might have just been really light bump or something. It doesn't matter right now, though, because it won't happen again."

Elphaba was doubtful about that, but she nodded slowly. "Yeah," she said, agreeing with Galinda. "Here, I'm going to go to the cafeteria downstairs and get some food. Is there anything in particular that you want?"

"No," Galinda said. "Just grab something for me and hurry up and get back here. I don't want to be alone in here, it's boring, and it's scary."

"I'll be back as soon as I'm able," Elphaba said, kissing her gently before leaving the room.

_**Thank you all for reading this, and as I said before, I most likely post until next week. Please REVIEW. All comments, suggestions, and thoughts are appreciated, so PLEASE leave them. Thank you again!**_

_**ReallyObsessiveWriter**_

_**P.S. I have an idea for another story that's based on RENT, and I have no idea if I should post it or wait until I'm finished with this story. Please leave your opinion in your review, e-mail me from my profile, or PM me. I really value what you have to have to say! Thank you!**_

_**ROW**_


	14. Chapter 14

_**Okay, here's the next chapter like I promised. Hope you enjoy it!**_

As soon as she left the room and closed the door behind her, Elphaba broke down, tears streaming down her face. It was so wrong that Galinda should be the one to have this horrible disease, that the pretty, popular (or used to be popular) girl should have so short a time to live, and not even know how long she had left.

"Hey, Elphaba!"

She looked up to see Fiyero jogging towards her, a worried expression on his face. Wiping her eyes on her sleeve, she walked towards him.

"Elphaba, what's wrong?" he asked. "Is it Galinda? Is she okay? She's not… not… _dead_ is she?"

"No," Elphaba whispered. "She's fine, for now, at least."

"What do you mean 'for now?'" he asked.

"She's going to die, Fiyero," Elphaba said bluntly, but quietly. "And she doesn't have much time to live. She doesn't get the chance to live her life as she wants because of this stupid disease, and I can't do anything about it."

"But you aren't going to give up, are you?" he asked, and she looked at him with a confused expression on her face. "Hey, if there's one thing I've learned by seeing you these past two months, it's that you never give up, no matter what the odds are. And you have this knack for getting what you want."

"But this time, I have a time limit," Elphaba said, shaking her head. "Galinda has a certain amount of time to live, and if I don't find something that will keep her alive by that time, then I've lost. There's nothing, no medicine or magic spell that can turn death back and bring someone to life."

"Elphaba, you're strong and smart," he said, putting an encouraging hand on her arm. "You can do it. And you have my support. If you need anything, and I mean anything at all, then just come to me and ask me for it."

"Why are you doing this?" Elphaba asked. "You can tell me while we walk, because I have to go get dinner for Galinda and me."

He sighed and pulled his hand back. "To tell you the truth, in the beginning of the year, I thought that you were some evil… demon coming to corrupt all of us. It didn't help that your sister was basically a saint because there's a legend in the tales of Kumbricia about a demon that will come in the form of a human."

They were walking down the hall towards the cafeteria, ignoring the stares they were getting because of Elphaba's green skin and Fiyero's blue diamond tattoos.

"The legend says that we'll be able to recognize the demon by some physical trait, and that it'll be obvious," he explained. "The demon's sibling would be one of Kumbricia's followers in human form. Kumbricia's followers are generally seen as beautiful women, and kind, as well. When I saw you, that's how I automatically identified you."

"It isn't the first time someone has thought me to be a demon," Elphaba murmured.

"But now I know better!" Fiyero said quickly. "When I saw how much you cared for Galinda, especially with her hemophilia, I knew that if you and your sister were the ones spoken about in the legend, it would be you who was Kumbricia's follower and your sister who was the demon. But now I'm not sure if I believe any of it. My education has advanced greatly since I came here."

"Why did you break up with Galinda?" Elphaba asked.

This question took Fiyero by surprise, but he quickly recovered. "It was strict orders from my parents that while I'm here, I'm to find a smart, beautiful wife," he said shamefacedly. "The young woman that I choose is to be healthy because the Arjiki tribe can't handle another death at the moment. My great-great-grandmother died very recently. The only reason I'm here is because my parents had convinced enough of the minor tribe leaders to let me come. Otherwise, I would be back in the Vinkus mourning her death for another five years."

"So if your parents hadn't given you those requirements, would you have stayed with Galinda?" Elphaba asked as they turned into the cafeteria and got in line to get food.

He shook his head. "We wouldn't have worked out," he said.

"Why not?" Elphaba asked, surprised.

"Look at the two of you!" he exclaimed. "You two are perfect for each other. If I hadn't broken up with Galinda, she would have eventually found out how perfect you are for her. It's like you're made for each other. I'm positive that she would have broken up with me in time."

By that time, Elphaba had gathered enough food for both her and Galinda and went up to the cash register to pay for it. When she reached into the pocket of her jacket for money, Fiyero gave the woman at the register some money, earning a glare from Elphaba.

"Just let me do this for the two of you," he said gently. "I owe you at least this much from what I've done to you, and Galinda."

"Fine," she whispered, and he took the tray from her, carrying it.

"Could you tell me one thing?" he asked after a moment.

Elphaba looked at him cautiously. "That depends on what it is," she said.

"How long does Galinda have to live?"

She stopped in the middle of the hall, pulling him to the side. "The doctor said not to tell anyone, but I trust you," she murmured. "I have no idea why I trust you, but I just do. But you have to promise not to tell anyone, especially not Galinda."

He nodded.

"The doctor said the most he expected was two and a half to three months," Elphaba said, and Fiyero almost dropped the tray of food in surprise.

"Only that much time?" he whispered.

"You see why I'm so worried?" Elphaba asked. "If I had only, maybe three months more, I would be more confident, but there's not much time for me to do anything. I have to research hemophilia in depth to understand it. There may be some simple answer, like giving her an infusion of a specific type of blood other than what they gave her before, or it might be complicated, like giving her a bone marrow transplant in a certain bone.

"And not only do I have to research hemophilia, I have to research past treatments, errors, successes, and failures. Plus, there's always magic to add into the equation. If there's some spell that will cure her of the disease, then I need to know how to do it, if there are any physical requirements, and the side effects."

"I'll help do the research," Fiyero said, surprising her. "It'll be a lot faster to have two people doing it rather than one. And I could probably get Boq to come around and help us out, too. I know what he said to the two of you and I think he was just surprised and reacted on that."

"That would be great if you could help out, but I'm not sure that Boq will since he's dating my sister," Elphaba said.

"Trust me, Boq doesn't love Nessa," Fiyero said. "He still loves Galinda, not that he ever has a chance with her. She's never seen him as anyone but a classmate and, perhaps, a friend. He'll come around and he'll help. He wants Galinda to die just as much as you do."

"Thank you, Fiyero," she said. "You have no idea how good it feels to be able to confide in someone. Now let's get back to Galinda, she's waiting for her food, and I promised I'd be back as soon as possible. And remember, not a word of this conversation to her."

They made their way back to the room and Elphaba went in first with the tray, leaving Fiyero outside for a moment. "Hey, Galinda, there's someone else here to see you," Elphaba said, setting the tray down on the bedside table.

Galinda furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. "Who else would be here to see me?" she asked. "There isn't anyone else who knows I'm here, is there?"

"Yeah, he's right outside," Elphaba said, opening the door to reveal Fiyero.

The blonde looked surprised. "What's he doing here?" she asked coldly after she recovered.

"Galinda…" Elphaba said in a warning tone.

"No, she has a right to ask," Fiyero said, holding up a hand to Elphaba. "Galinda, I was such a complete jerk to you, and Elphaba, and I know that. It's not right to ask your forgiveness after all I've done to the two of you, but that's what I'm doing. I'm not going to try and get you back; you have Elphaba. All I want to do is be your friend."

"Why should I trust you?" Galinda asked. "I trusted you before and you broke up with me when I told you that I have hemophilia. And you were horrible to both Elphaba and I when we told everyone that we're together."

"I know, and I was wrong," Fiyero said. "You don't have to forgive me at all, and as I said before, I have no right to ask for your forgiveness."

"Galinda, he saved your life," Elphaba said, drawing the blonde's attention away from Fiyero and towards her. "If it hadn't been for him, you would probably be dead right now. Maybe that doesn't completely make up for what he's done to you, but it shows that he still cares about you."

"I still don't trust you, and I don't forgive you, but if Elphie trusts you, you can stay," Galinda said grudgingly after a moment. "But if you do anything, and I mean anything, that shows that you're making fun of us behind our backs, or doing anything that's mean to us, then when I get out of this bed, you're going to pay for it."

"Then I'll have to make sure that I don't do anything that will get you upset," Fiyero said sincerely. "If there's anything either of you need and can't get your hands on, just tell me and I'll see what I can do. Galinda, I just came to stop in and see how you were doing and how Elphaba was doing. Get better soon, and see you in class."

He turned on his heel and left, quietly closing the door behind him.

"You didn't have to be so rude to him," Elphaba said in a reprimanding tone. "He was just trying to be nice and say sorry. And you should be grateful to him, he saved your life."

"Elphie, he really hurt me," Galinda said. "And it's hard to forgive him for breaking my heart. I mean, in part, I'm grateful to him because I found you, and because he saved my life, of course, but I kind of wish I had found you some other way."

"Galinda, sometimes the things that are worth the most in your life are only attained after a long road of hardships," Elphaba said, taking Galinda's hand in her own. "I'm just glad I found you this early in my life, instead of having to wait a long time."

The blonde frowned. "There's something you're not telling me," she said. "What's wrong? Did someone say something to you?"

"No, nothing's wrong," Elphaba said.

"Something is wrong, I can see it in your eyes," Galinda said, upset. "Don't try to lie to me."

"Galinda, I can't…"

"It was the doctor, wasn't it?" Galinda asked. "He told you how long I have. What did he say? What do I have fifteen years? Ten? Five?"

"Please don't ask me," Elphaba said sadly.

"Less than five years? Three years? Two?" she asked.

"Galinda, please…"

"Tell me!" Galinda yelled. "I'm not five years old, Elphaba Thropp! I would like to know how long I have left to live! It _is_ my life, isn't it? Or has that been taken away from me already?"

"He told me not to say anything," Elphaba whispered.

"Because it would ruin my health?" Galinda asked sarcastically. "If you haven't already noticed, Elphaba, my health is already ruined. That's what this disease has done to me. I'm tired of people trying to be _gentle_ with me because I'm so _fragile_. Will you just tell me?"

"Please don't do this," Elphaba begged.

"Why are you acting like this?" Galinda demanded. "Why can't you tell me?"

"Because I don't want to have to let you go any sooner than I have to!" Elphaba yelled, tears leaking out of the corners of her eyes. "Galinda, I can't deal with all of this. Yes, I can deal with you having hemophilia; I can deal with you going in and out of the hospital; I can deal with you steadily growing weaker. But I can't deal with you yelling at me because I'm following the doctor's orders."

"I have a right to know," Galinda said firmly.

"Fine, do you really want to know?" Elphaba asked angrily. "Three months tops, is that good enough for you? Did you really want to know that?"

Galinda stared at her, wide-eyed. Elphaba suddenly realized what she had said and sat down on the bed, pulling her into a hug. "Oh, my sweet, I'm so sorry," she whispered. "I should have never said anything, I'm so stupid."

She gripped the blonde tighter as she started to shake in her arms. Sobs wracked her body and tears soaked through the cloth of Elphaba's blouse, burning her skin. Ignoring the pain, she rocked Galinda back and forth. "I know, it's not fair, but I'm going to do everything and anything to save you," she whispered. "I'm so sorry."

And that's how Galinda's parents and the doctor found them three hours later, Elphaba holding Galinda as they slept peacefully together, Galinda's face red and puffy from crying and Elphaba's cheeks streaked with burns from her tears. The three adults smiled at the young couple and quietly backed out of the room to talk in the hallway.

_**Hope you liked it! I'll try to update by the end of this week, but I'll definitely have another chapter posted by the end of next week. Remember, REVIEW!!! All thoughts and comments are really appreciated, and I really love to hear from my readers. Thank you all for reading and reviewing, and REVIEW!!! Thanks!**_

_**ReallyObsessiveWriter**_


	15. Chapter 15

_**Here's the next chapter. I'll see if I can get another one up tomorrow. If not, I'll get it up next week at the latest. Enjoy!**_

Galinda was let out of the hospital that night after she promised the doctors, along with her parents and Elphaba, that she wouldn't go to classes the next day. She was still very weak and couldn't stand without someone supporting her. Elphaba wouldn't let her out of her sight and her parents hovered anxiously as they slowly made their way down the hospital hallway, since Galinda insisted on walking instead of riding in a wheelchair, to the carriage that was waiting for them, and then onto Shiz grounds and to their room.

"Are you sure you two are going to be okay?" Edwin asked as Elphaba helped Galinda sit down on her bed. "We really don't want to leave, but there's a problem at the estate, and we can't ignore it. We're really sorry that we have to leave when we just arrived today, and especially when Galinda is in such a condition?"

"Popsicle, I'm going to be fine," Galinda protested. "You go take care of what needs to be taken care of; Elphie will take care of me."

"If you're sure," Selena said cautiously, leaning down to kiss her daughter gently on the cheek. "Now you be good, don't overexert yourself, write as often as you can, and keep up with your studies."

"Yes, Momsie," Galinda said dutifully, hugging her father. "I love you."

"We love you, too," Selena said fondly. Both of Galinda's parents looked towards Elphaba, who had retreated to her bed and was biting her lip as she tried to look inconspicuous by reading a book.

"Elphaba, we would like to thank you for taking care of our daughter," Selena said as Edwin nodded beside her. "We really appreciate her being with someone who cares for her, no matter what she looks like, how smart she is, or what disease she has. It means a lot to us."

"Actually, Mr. and Mrs. Upland, I would like to ask you something," Elphaba said nervously, setting her book down beside her and standing up. "I mean, I don't know if you have control over this, but I think you should be present when the decision is made."

"Is there something wrong?" Galinda asked anxiously.

"I… I was wondering if Galinda could come with me to my family's estate for the first two weeks of winter break," Elphaba said, biting her lip. "We have doctors there, of course, if anything went wrong. The best in Munchkinland, actually. And… I want to announce our relationship to my grandfather in person instead of writing him, and Galinda should be there for that."

"Of course," Selena said. "Not to be nosy, but what are you doing after those two weeks? Do you have some tradition for Lurlinemas or celebrating the Unnamed God?"

"Actually, I'll be coming back here," Elphaba said, trying to force a smile onto her face. "I don't like to stay very long, especially with both my father and sister there, considering what their views are. Holidays tend to get hectic when we're all together, considering I don't believe anything of what my father or sister believes, my grandfather trying to get me to fulfill the duties of the Heir-Apparent, and my mother having died the day before Lurlinemas."

"Oh, I'm sorry," Selena said.

"Its fine," Elphaba said, shaking her head. "It's been that way for awhile now, and I'm used to it by now."

"Momsie, Popsicle, could Elphie come and stay with us for the rest of the break?" Galinda asked. "We could take a carriage up to the Gillikin railroad and take the train to Pertha Hills."

"No, I couldn't intrude on your holiday," Elphaba said quickly as Edwin opened his mouth to speak.

"We insist that you come stay with us if you're going to come back here to spend the holiday alone," Edwin said firmly. "You are with our daughter, and, therefore, a part of our family, and we don't let family spend a special time by themselves."

"Really, I don't want to be a burden," Elphaba said, shaking her head. "I tend to be… I'm not really much for company around holidays. It's best for everyone if I spend the time to myself. I would just like to take Galinda to my home and show her around, introduce her to my family, or those who will speak to me, and inform my grandfather of our relationship."

"Elphaba, you're coming to my house for the rest of the holiday," Galinda said, the tone of her voice allowing no room to protest. "I don't want you to spend the holiday alone, and _I_ want to show _you_ around _my_ house and the grounds."

"Fine," Elphaba relented. "But my family won't be happy when they find out."

"Why won't they be happy?" Edwin asked, confused.

"Because they've been trying to get me to participate in the holiday ever since I was little," Elphaba said. "I've always protested and have gotten my way with minimal punishment, if any at all. My father and grandfather think I'll be coming back here to spend most of the holiday, and, of course, they don't yet know that Galinda is coming with me for the first two weeks."

"If it's going to cause a problem…" Selena started.

"No, just the usual," Elphaba said glumly, but quickly brightened. "But thank you for letting Galinda come with me, I really appreciate you placing your trust in me, especially after knowing me for only a short period of time."

"You're a nice girl, Elphaba," Edwin said, smiling at her. "I've heard what some of the students and faculty have said about you, and I can assure you none of the rumors are true, except for the fact that you are indeed green."

"Well, that always has been hard for people to believe without actually seeing me in person," Elphaba said, laughing.

"It was very nice meeting you, Elphaba," Edwin said, giving her a polite nod. "I would love to stay and chat, but we really must be going. We'll try to visit once more before the holiday, but we'll definitely keep in contact through letters. If there are any problems, just right, and you two girls take care of each other."

Galinda's parents left and Elphaba sat down next to the blonde, putting a comforting arm around her shoulder and pulling her close as a small tear trailed down trickled down her cheek. "Are you going to be okay?" she asked, wiping the tear away with the tip of her finger.

"Yes," Galinda sniffled, wiping her eyes on her sleeve. "I just hate saying goodbye to anyone, it always gets me upset."

"Just look at it this way, when you say goodbye, you're just giving yourself another hello to look forward to," Elphaba whispered.

"You always make me feel better," Galinda murmured, giving Elphaba a small smile and yawning.

"How about we both get into bed?" Elphaba asked, standing up.

"Will you lay with me?" Galinda asked, latching onto Elphaba's arm. "I don't want to be alone."

Elphaba tried to protest, but the moment she looked into Galinda's eyes, her heart melted. "Fine," she said. "But this can't become a habit. What happens if one of us has to go on a trip without the other? Tomorrow, we'll have to sleep in our separate beds. Now why don't we change?"

"Just sleep in your clothes, Elphie," Galinda said, slipping under the covers and holding them up for Elphaba to get in with her. "It won't hurt to do it once. Come on, I'm really tired and the light is hurting my eyes."

"Okay, fine, just this once," Elphaba grumbled, getting into the bed after slipping her shoes off. "Goodnight, my sweet."

"Night, Elphie, I love you," Galinda said, drifting off to sleep.

"I love you, too," Elphaba whispered, kissing her on the top of the head and wrapping her arms around her waist, pulling her close.

_**So there you go. As I said before, I'll see if I can get the next chapter up tomorrow, and if not, I'll get it up next week.**_

_**One comment for the person who reviewed as **_**KILL GALINDA!!**_** The sentence was: "He wants Galinda to die as much as you do." This is from Chapter Fourteen, if anyone was wondering, when Fiyero was speaking to Elphaba. What Fiyero is saying that Elphaba doesn't want Galinda to die, and since Boq wants Galinda to die just as much as Elphaba does, Boq doesn't want Galinda to die. He is NOT saying that Boq wants Galinda to die. Just thought I would clear that up for anyone who was wondering.**_

_**Now that I have that cleared up, PLEASE REVIEW!!! I really appreciate all thoughts and comments, even from people who want Galinda to die, as much as I don't want her to. (This is not guaranteeing that she won't. I'm still not sure.) I really appreciate everyone reading and reviewing, so please continue. Thank you again to all of my loyal readers and reviewers, and to my new ones!**_

_**ReallyObsessiveWriter**_


	16. Chapter 16

_**Here's the next chapter. Enjoy!**_

The rest of the week went by quickly for the two girls. Galinda stayed in the room the day after she had been in the hospital, obeying the doctor's orders, as Elphaba went around to all of their classes and collected notes and homework. Many people gave her glares, but some people actually walked up to her and asked her to tell Galinda to feel better.

When Galinda went back to class, she was never seen without Elphaba. She was always sitting next to her, holding her hand, holding her, or hovering protectively over her shoulder. Many students glared at them as they walked past, or whispered behind hands, but no one approached them with a rude comment. Most of them were too afraid to do so.

The other thing that made people back off was the fact that Fiyero hung out with Galinda and Elphaba. It was as if he had never dated Galinda and he had never made fun of Elphaba earlier in the year. Everyone, including the teachers, was baffled by the relationship Fiyero had with the girls. He would laugh and joke with them, sit with them, actually _taking notes_, during class, walk around the campus with them, and wait for them outside the library.

Two weeks had passed since the incident where Galinda had been transported to the hospital, and since then, she had stopped taking the infusions because they had no effect on her. She began to get a little more unsteady, her joints, especially her knees, swelled up constantly, and small bruises appeared all over her body. Luckily, there was nothing as serious as the bruise that had made her pass out, but Elphaba was constantly watching her closely to make sure she didn't overexert herself.

The stress of school and watching Galinda began to take its toll on Elphaba as winter break got closer and closer. Bags began to develop under her eyes along with dark circles, and she oftentimes fell asleep in the library while she studied with Galinda for exams. Research on hemophilia didn't help her as she spent countless hours sneaking back out to the library to read books and try to find a cure for the deadly disease Galinda had. Galinda had caught her sneaking out a few times and forced her to go back to bed and try to get some sleep.

The last day of school before winter break finally came and Galinda started to bounce around in their room after classes were finished as they tried to pack. Elphaba, unsuccessfully, tried to calm her down, and Galinda would have none of it.

"I can't believe I'm actually going to be able to meet your family!" Galinda squealed excitedly as she shuffled out of her closet for the tenth time, packing yet another dress in her large suitcase. Elphaba shook her head and chuckled; her small suitcase already packed and set by the door.

"You don't have to pack that many clothes," Elphaba said, walking over to Galinda and wrapping her arms around her waist. "My family won't mind if you wear only one dress a day. Besides, we're probably not going to see my father and sister much. Or my brother, for that matter. My grandfather will probably grace us with his presence a few more times than they will, though."

"That doesn't mean that I don't need this many clothes," Galinda said, pulling away from Elphaba and turning around to face her. "What if the weather doesn't match my outfit? It would be a disaster if I didn't have enough sundresses because it was sunny, or enough of my warmer dresses if it starts snowing."

"Galinda, it usually doesn't snow at Colwen Grounds," Elphaba said.

"Why not?" Galinda whined. "It _has_ to snow. It's winter, for Oz sake!"

"I don't know why it doesn't snow," Elphaba said. "The two places that it usually doesn't snow in Oz are the Vinkus deserts, and Munchkinland. That's why Munchkinland is called the Breadbasket of Oz. We don't get any snow, so the planting, growing, and harvesting seasons can be any time year round."

"Well, that has to be boring," Galinda said, turning back to her suitcase and starting to unpack some of her dresses.

"Not really," Elphaba said. "It's actually kind of nice because it's hard for me to get around in the snow, considering it gets everyone, no matter how tightly you bundle up, and that I'm allergic to water. Munchkinland is the ideal place for me. I've been lucky with not getting severely burned by snow here."

Galinda skipped over and kissed the small burn on Elphaba's face that had been caused by an unexpected snowstorm. "I guess it is the ideal location for you," she said quietly, wrapping her arms around Elphaba's shoulders. "When do we leave again?"

"Tomorrow morning at seven o'clock," Elphaba said. "So you had better finish packing tonight, because I really don't want to miss the train."

"Why are we taking the train, again?" Galinda asked, turning back to our suitcase.

"Because it's faster than going the whole way by carriage," Elphaba said. "It would take about two months to go by carriage, and that's first class. My grandfather wouldn't want to pay for first class for two months, so he'd probably pay for middle class, which would take about four months. With taking the train, it will take two and a half days to get to the Glikkus Canals, another half a day to get over the border into Munchkinland, where we'll stop at an inn in Upper Applerue, a full day of travel from five o'clock in the morning to eleven o'clock at night to travel through Nest Fallows to Center Munch, and then a day to get from Center Munch to Colwen Grounds."

"That's a long time," Galinda said.

"But it's going to be worth it once we get there," Elphaba said, taking some dresses Galinda handed to her and hanging them back up in the closet. "You'll want to pack a traveling bag for five days, too. Something small, please, because it's going to be hard carrying your both your traveling bag and mine as it is."

"Here, I have a traveling bag right here," Galinda said, pulling out a bag that was about as big as Elphaba's traveling bag. "I'll try to fit all of my clothes in here. Are we getting a sleeper car or are we stopping on the way to the Glikkus Canals?"

"We get our own private car," Elphaba said, helping Galinda pack the bag. "It has two beds, a dining area, a card table, and a refrigerator full of food. We'll be comfortable on the way there. And there's a medical car on the train, as well, so if anything goes wrong…"

"Elphaba, I'll be fine," Galinda said, snapping her suitcase and traveling bag closed. "There's no need to worry. Besides, we'll be getting plenty of sleep on the train, so I'll be fine. Are you bringing those books you checked out of the library or are you going to return them before we leave?"

She looked at the stack of research books on her desk. "I'll have plenty of books at Colwen Grounds," she said. "Here, I'll go return them right now. Do you want to come with me or would you rather stay here?"

"I think I'm going to stay here and try to sleep," Galinda said, changing into her nightclothes in the middle of the room as Elphaba reached to open the door. "Hey, don't open that when I'm changing! What if someone walked by and saw me?"

"Well, my sweet, perhaps you should change in the bathroom then," Elphaba said, laughing and kissing her gently before opening the door. "I'll be back in ten minutes, fifteen minutes tops, okay?"

"And I'll be here waiting for you," Galinda said, jumping into her bed and pulling the covers up to her chin. "Can you turn out the lights?"

Elphaba flicked the light switch off. "I love you, my sweet," she whispered as Galinda started to snore softly, dropping off instantly.

She always felt nervous when she left Galinda alone, afraid that the blonde would pass out again and bleed to death. So she sped up her pace and quickly dropped her books off in the library, hurrying back to the room. About halfway back to Crage Hall, a group of boys appeared on the pathway, blocking her way.

"Hey artichoke, where are you on a hurry to?" one of them called. "Is your little _girlfriend_ waiting for you?"

"Actually, yes she is, so I would prefer if you move," Elphaba said calmly, trying to keep control over her temper. Any comment could set her off, and if she got angry, her magic got out of control.

"What would happen if we didn't move?" another boy asked.

"Oh, you saw what happened at the beginning of the year, didn't you?" someone said, coming up behind Elphaba. She turned to see Fiyero giving her a reassuring smile. He set his hand on Elphaba's shoulder and faced the group of boys. "I mean, you wouldn't want to get thrown in the lake by her magic, would you? And I, of course, would tell Madame Morrible that it was _you_ who were harassing _her_, and not the other way around as I'm sure you all would say."

"Come on, Fiyero, join the fun," the first boy said, stepping forward into the light. "Why do you always stick up for the green girl and her girlfriend? I mean, she _did_ steal Galinda from you, didn't she?"

"Avaric, for the last time, Galinda and I _broke up_, okay? Elphaba, and that's her name, not green girl, not artichoke, not green bean, or any of the other names you call her, but she did not _steal_ Galinda from me. Get that straight," Fiyero said angrily. "Elphaba, I'll escort you back to your room."

"Hey, not so fast," Avaric said, an evil grin on his face. "We want to have some fun. Why don't you stay out of this, Fiyero, if you aren't going to assist us? We've heard some interesting rumors about the green girl here and we want to see if they're true."

"Perhaps if you just asked," Elphaba said, folding her arms over her chest. "This really isn't amusing, you know. I would really like to get some sleep, now."

"Fine, we'll ask, why do you an aversion to water?" Avaric asked.

Elphaba's eyes widened. "I don't have an aversion to water," she lied. She had no idea how they had found out about this, but she wanted to keep it a secret.

"Then you won't care that we dump this bucket of water on you," he laughed, picking up a bucket of water that she hadn't seen before. He threw it at her and she tried to run, but Fiyero was in her way. It splashed over her front, burning her legs, chest, and arms.

"Get away," she growled through her pain, struggling not to cry and add to the damage. "I said get out of my way!"

The boys scattered, laughing, and Elphaba ran, Fiyero following close behind.

"Elphaba, will you wait up?" he panted as she opened the door to Crage Hall and darted up the stairs. "Please, tell me what's wrong."

She fumbled with the key to her room and slid it in the lock, opening the door and turning on the lights. Galinda immediately sat up, her eyes widening when she saw Elphaba. Fiyero arrived in the doorway a few minutes later to see Elphaba shedding her clothes.

"Please, can you wait until you change?" he asked, shielding his eyes.

"Close that door, you idiot," Galinda snapped, swinging her legs out of her bed and hurrying over to Elphaba to help. "And keep your hands over your eyes, she has to get out of these clothes immediately or she's going to get hurt even worse."

"What do you mean by 'even worse'?" he asked.

"She's allergic to water," Galinda said, pulling the dress off her. "Elphaba, do you want me to go get your oils?"

"Yes, please," she whispered, whimpering in pain.

"Okay, I'll be right back," Galinda said, rushing into the bathroom and coming back out with a large bottle of oil. "You forgot to pack your oil, which would have been bad."

"It would have been worse if you couldn't find it," Elphaba said, grabbing the bottle and quickly pouring some into her hand. Galinda did the same and starting rubbing it onto her legs while Elphaba rubbed it on her chest, sighing in relief as the burning sensation started to recede.

"When can I open my eyes?" Fiyero asked.

"Just let me get into my nightclothes," Elphaba said through clenched teeth as she slowly moved towards her closet and pulled out a nightdress, gasping in pain as the cloth rubbed up against the burns. "Okay, you can look now."

Fiyero opened his eyes. "Now what's going on?" he asked. "How can someone be allergic to water?"

Elphaba pulled up the sleeve of her nightdress, revealing the burn that had just resulted from the bucket Avaric had just thrown over her. "That's what just happened," she said, pulling her sleeve back down gently. "I don't know why I'm allergic to water, I just am, and I've always been that way. It's really annoying, but I've learned to live with it."

"If I had known I would have tried to shield you from the water," Fiyero said. "I thought that you were just afraid of thunderstorms or of swimming or something like that. I didn't think you would actually get hurt."

"Nope, I'm allergic," Elphaba said. "Now if you don't mind, I'm going to try to get to sleep before Galinda and I leave tomorrow morning. The more sleep I get, the faster these burns will heal."

"Of course," Fiyero said quickly. "How about I come pick you girls up at six o'clock tomorrow morning with a carriage. You're train leaves at seven, right? That'll give us enough time."

"We don't need an hour, Fiyero," Elphaba said.

"With everyone leaving tomorrow and all the traffic, you will," he said. "I'll go reserve a carriage right now and be here tomorrow morning at seven, okay?"

"I forgot about the traffic," Elphaba murmured. "Yes, that would be great. Thank you, Fiyero. And thank you for showing up when you did. Who knows what those boys would have done if you hadn't been there."

"No problem," Fiyero said with a small grin. "But next time, don't go out by yourself at night. It can be dangerous, even on Shiz grounds."

"I know how to ward them off," Elphaba said. "They just caught be by surprise."

"Sure," Fiyero said, rolling his eyes and winking at Galinda, who was gigging at the playful argument between Fiyero and Elphaba. "I'll see you girls tomorrow morning, then. Good night and sweet dreams."

He left and closed the door behind him.

"Are you sure you're going to be okay?" Galinda asked anxiously.

"I'll be fine," Elphaba said, gently lying down on her bed. "But we won't be able to sleep in the same bed tonight, my sweet. I'm sorry. This hurts a lot, and I don't know if I would be able to manage squeezing into one of these beds with you."

"Its fine," Galinda said, lying down. "I just want you to be okay, Elphie. I wouldn't be able to stand it if I lost you."

Galinda soon dropped off to sleep. "Now you know what I feel," Elphaba whispered to herself, before dropping off to sleep herself.

_**Well, I hope you liked it. I'll try to get the next chapter up tomorrow, but it will be up by this coming Saturday at the latest. Thank you for all of the reviews, I really appreciate all thoughts, comments, and suggestions everyone sends to me. And of course, continue to review. Thank you once again for reading and reviewing!**_

_**ReallyObsessiveWriter**_


	17. Chapter 17

_**Here's the next chapter. I'm surprised I got it up so quickly. Enjoy!**_

"Come on, Galinda, we have to hurry, Fiyero's going to be here any minute to take us to the train station," Elphaba said, rushing around the room to pack last-minute necessities that they had forgotten yesterday. "Did you get your medicine and pack it in your traveling bag?"

"I packed it in my suitcase," Galinda moaned, hurrying across the room and opening her large suitcase. She pulled out the medicine and Elphaba groaned.

"That took fifteen minutes to close that!" she said, walking over and leaning down on it as Galinda struggled to zip it up. "Just leave it; we'll have Fiyero close it for us. Do you have everything in your traveling bag? Toothpaste? Toothbrush? Hairbrush? Shampoo? Conditioner? Body wash?"

"Elphaba, you sound like my mother," Galinda said, pulling each item out of her suitcase and putting them in her traveling bag.

"You should be glad that I'm reminding you," Elphaba said, checking her own traveling bag. "If I didn't remind you, you'd be stuck with the soaps the inn and the train provides, and they aren't very good. At least, that's what Nessa always says."

"Do _you_ have everything?" Galinda asked, putting her hands on her hips.

"I just need to put some more oil on my burns, and then that'll be the last thing I pack," Elphaba said, taking the large bottle of oil into the bathroom. Galinda stood in the doorway, watching her as she rubbed the oil on her arms and legs. "Do you mind?" Elphaba asked irritably when she noticed Galinda watching her.

"Come on, you can't blame me for wanting to watch my beautiful girlfriend," Galinda said, giving Elphaba a small pout.

"Please, Galinda, you know I don't feel comfortable when someone is watching me," Elphaba said. "I'll be out in a few minutes, okay?"

"Fine," Galinda said, leaving the doorway and going back out into the main room.

Elphaba quickly rubbed the oil into her chest and went back out into the main room to find Fiyero standing just inside the doorway, staring at the huge suitcase Galinda had just asked him to close. She put her oil in her traveling bag and closed it, turning to Fiyero.

"We tried to close it, but we couldn't. It was closed last night, but Galinda packed a whole bunch of stuff in it that she needed in her traveling bag," she said. "Do you think you could help me get it shut?"

"Yeah, um…" he said, scratching the back of his neck. "Maybe if Galinda sat on it and you leaned on it, we could manage to get it shut. Here, careful, don't fall, Galinda. We don't want anything bad to happen."

"I can take care of myself," Galinda huffed, sitting on top of the suitcase and crossing her arms over her chest.

"Of course you can, my sweet," Elphaba said, leaning down on the suitcase as Fiyero tried to zip it closed. He managed to get it halfway zipped and Elphaba took the zipper and closed it the rest of the way. "Thank you, Fiyero."

"How are you going to get that closed when you head back here?" Fiyero asked.

"The servants practically beg to pack my things whenever I leave," Elphaba said, rolling her eyes. "I'm sure they would be overjoyed at the challenge Galinda's suitcase will give them."

"You have servants?" Fiyero asked.

"Not me personally, or they would be trailing me around like they do my grandfather," Elphaba said. "But yes, our estate is basically run by servants. That way, my grandfather won't have to dirty his hands by doing all of the housework. They get paid decent wages, though, so its job a lot of people want."

"Wow, I never imagined you going around in a mansion ordering servants around," Fiyero said.

"I don't order them around!" Elphaba said irritably. "The most I've ever asked them to do is tell me where my grandfather is. They do the rest on their own. I _would_ do the housework, but my grandfather won't let me."

"Your grandfather seems very commanding," Fiyero observed.

"He _is_ the Eminent Thropp, Fiyero," Elphaba said, shaking her head. "Seriously, have you forgotten almost every conversation we've had in our politics class? Of course, you do tend to fall asleep in that one."

"It's early in the morning," he said, defending himself. "Speaking of early, we're running late, so we'll have to get your stuff down to the carriage quickly. Elphaba, can you carry the traveling bags so I can get the suitcases? I don't want to have to make two trips, although with Galinda's suitcase, we may have to."

"I can manage my suitcase," Elphaba said, grabbing it from beside the door. "Here, we'll go down to lobby and wait for you."

"The carriage driver should be there waiting for us," Fiyero said, grunting as he pulled Galinda's suitcase off her bed. "I told him to look for a green girl and take her bags to the carriage. I don't know if he took me seriously, but hopefully he did."

"Okay, come on Galinda," Elphaba said, grabbing the traveling bags and her suitcase. They headed down to the lobby and a man walked up to them, taking the bags from Elphaba after looking at her in amazement and putting them on top of a carriage. Fiyero was down a few minutes later, huffing and puffing as he lugged Galinda's suitcase behind her. He and the carriage driver managed to get it on top of the carriage and then they were off to the train station.

Fiyero helped them load their luggage onto the train car and stood there for a few minutes, his hands in his pockets as Elphaba argued with the carriage driver. He had found out that Elphaba was the Heir-Apparent on the ride to the train station and, since he was from Munchkinland, refused to let her pay.

"Oh, come on, what will your supervisor say when you come up short for your fares today?" Elphaba asked.

"I'll explain the situation to him," the man replied stubbornly.

"No, you'll give him the fares," Elphaba said, trying to give him the money she held in her hand.

"It isn't right for me to take money from my homeland's next leader," the man said.

"How about a tip?" Elphaba asked. "Here, take it, or I'll have someone else give it to you. You can't refuse it from someone else."

"I won't take it," the man said, shaking his head.

Elphaba handed the money to Galinda. "Will you please give this to him?" she asked, sighing in exasperation. "Thank you."

Galinda handed the money to the man and took it with reluctance. "I really don't like taking this money," he said. "But I will, only because you insist."

He walked away and climbed into his carriage, which was already occupied by another person. Elphaba watched as he drove away and shook her head. "I hate when they do that," she muttered. "It gets really annoying."

"You just passed up the chance for a free ride, and paid him extra," Fiyero said incredulously.

"He was a good driver, and I refuse to take away someone's money simply because they're from Munchkinland," Elphaba said. "The train will be leaving soon, so we have to go. Are you going home for the break?"

He nodded. "I leave tomorrow," he said. "Here, I'll write. Give me your address and Galinda's address. Contact me if anything happens, okay? Or if you need anything."

Elphaba took the piece of paper he offered her and wrote her address on it and Galinda wrote hers. He tore off a piece and wrote down a post office address. "Just put my name on the envelope, with the full title, and they'll deliver it to me when it gets to the post office," he said, handing the slip of paper to her. "Our only permanent residence is Kiamo Ko, and that's if we have a really bad winter, which we aren't having right now."

"Okay," she said, slipping it into the pocket of her heavy winter coat. "Thank you for helping us get our stuff here, I really appreciate it."

He nodded. "Hey, no problem. Just travel safely."

There was an awkward moment and Galinda rushed forward, pulling both Elphaba and Fiyero into a hug. "This is more like it," she said contentedly.

"Galinda, people are staring."

"Oh, come on, this will be the last time you see Fiyero in a month," Galinda said to Elphaba. "At least give him a nice goodbye."

"Fine," Elphaba said, embracing him. He awkwardly returned the hug.

Galinda hugged Fiyero next, which he held back on. Elphaba shifted uncomfortably and he quickly let go. Galinda just giggled, pecked Elphaba on the cheek, and laced their fingers together, drawing even more stairs from passersby.

"Bye, Fiyero," she said as Elphaba dragged her on the train. "Don't forget to write!"

He waved as the train slowly chugged forward and picked up speed. Galinda sighed contentedly as she sat down and leant against Elphaba before quickly falling asleep. Elphaba just smiled and shook her head, wrapping an arm around the blonde and pulling her close.

_**Well, there you go. I'll try to get the next chapter up tomorrow, but I don't know if I'll be able to. I really don't expect to. Please review; I really appreciate all thoughts, comments, and suggestions. Thank you to all of my readers and reviewers!**_

_**ReallyObsessiveWriter**_


	18. Chapter 18

_**Here's the next chapter! Enjoy!**_

Galinda stirred and Elphaba closed her book, setting it down on the seat next to her and kissing the blonde gently on the forehead. "Where are we?" Galinda mumbled.

"We're on the train," Elphaba said. "Do you remember getting on this morning?"

"Yeah, how long have I been asleep?" she asked, yawning and stretching.

"About four hours," Elphaba said, looking at the watch on her wrist. "It's eleven o'clock. Are you hungry? Do you want anything to eat or can you wait until lunch is served in an hour? I know you didn't eat breakfast. There's food over in the refrigerator over there if you want something to eat."

"Elphie, I'm not starving to death," Galinda giggled. "You don't need to worry about me. If I'm hungry and I want food, I'll tell you."

"Sorry," Elphaba said, grinning sheepishly. "It's just… I want this trip to be perfect, and I'm kind of worried about what'll happen when we get to Colwen Grounds. As I've said many times before, my father is not the most accepting of people and I don't want you to hate me because of what he says."

Galinda sighed as Elphaba looked down at her lap in embarrassment and took a hold of her chin, lifting her face so she was forced to look into her eyes. "Elphaba Thropp, you listen to me," she said sternly. "I don't care what your father says. It would be nice if he approved of our relationship, but nothing he says is going to make me hate you, no matter what. Do you understand?"

"But…"

"Elphaba, I don't care if your family thinks I'm a no-good, spoiled, stuck-up, selfish jerk," she whispered. "I don't care if they tell me that they think you deserve better than a dying, blonde college girl who won't live to be nineteen. I'll love you no matter what they say, no matter what happens, no matter who you are, no matter where you are, and no matter what happens to me."

"I'll always love you, too, Galinda," Elphaba whispered. "If you're rich or poor, if you're the most popular girl at Shiz or if you're the most hated, if you're alive or passed on."

Galinda snuggled into Elphaba's side as Elphaba wrapped her arms around her waist kissing her gently on the top of her head. "So do you promise not to worry about how I'll react to whatever your father says?" Galinda asked.

"I'd thought that you'd forgotten about that," Elphaba moaned.

"No, I didn't, and I'm serious," Galinda said, turning around. "Please promise me, Elphaba. I don't want this trip to be spoiled because you feel guilty about what your father says."

"Fine," Elphaba sighed. "But you have to promise to tell me if anything he says really bothers you, and I'll tell him to stop. And if he doesn't stop, I'll go to my grandfather and he'll send Father off the grounds and back to his missions work in Quadling Country."

"Your grandfather can do that?" Galinda asked incredulously, her eyes widening.

Elphaba nodded. "Yes, because he's the Eminent Thropp and he owns all of the Thropp land. My father married into the Governorship and has the right to kick anyone off the grounds, except for me since I'm the Heir-Apparent. Technically, I have the right to kick my father off the grounds, as well, but I choose not to complicate my life any more than it already is and take everything to my grandfather that I can't handle."

"I didn't know you had that much power," Galinda said.

"That's what being the Heir-Apparent entails," Elphaba said. "There are many things that I could do as Heir-Apparent but choose not to do because sometimes its just going too far."

"What do you mean?" Galinda asked.

"Now _you're_ trying to distract _me_," Elphaba said with an accusatory look. "Galinda, really, promise me that if anything my father says starts to bother you that you'll come to me and tell me. I'll take care of it. I don't want this trip to be ruined, either, and my father is likely to do that."

"Fine," Galinda huffed, crossing her arms over her chest.

"My sweet, I'm not doing this to be mean," Elphaba said quietly, softly stroking Galinda's cheek. "I'm doing it because these two weeks are going to be uncomfortable if my father makes comments that upset you. I'm just trying to protect you, Galinda. I know what's coming, and I don't want you to experience all of the things I've had to."

"And what have you had to experience?" Galinda whispered.

Elphaba opened her mouth, hesitated, and closed it.

"What have I done that you don't trust me?" Galinda asked desperately as Elphaba turned away. "What can't you confide in me? Haven't I shown you that I love you?"

"You have, and that's why I don't want to share this with you," Elphaba said, taking Galinda's hands in her own. "There are many things in my past that aren't exactly… pleasant. But you need to know about my past before we get to the Glikkus Canals, because when we get there, an ambassador from Munchkinland will be meeting us, and I want you to be prepared."

"Prepared for what?" Galinda asked in a whisper.

The green girl looked away from Galinda. "My father doesn't like me," she said quietly. "He's never loved me, from the moment I was born; probably from the moment he knew my mother was going to have me. Right after my mother died he started… he started hitting me."

"That's horrible," Galinda gasped.

"It got worse and worse as time passed," Elphaba whispered. "My grandfather invited us to move into the Thropp mansion and I thought it would end right there, but it didn't. One day, one of the servants walked in on my father hitting me. Ever since then, my grandfather hasn't allowed my father to be alone with me. There's always been a servant around the corner, or my sister reading in the next room."

"Did… did he hurt you?" Galinda asked.

"He used to stick my hand in a bucket full of water," Elphaba said, looking down at her left hand and curling it into a fist as she remembered the pain. "It was to drive the demon out of me. Eventually, I was able to tolerate the pain he inflicted on me, so he would do something worse. The day the servant walked in on us, he had decided to dunk my head in a bucket of water and see how long I could last."

"Oh, Elphie," Galinda said, leaning into her and wrapping her arms around her. "I'm sorry, I didn't know."

"There's one more thing that you should know," Elphaba said. "The day we arrive at Colwen Grounds… will be the anniversary of the day my mother died. That's why I want you to tell me if anything my father says bothers you. He'll be really upset and likely to say things that make everyone uncomfortable."

"If you had told me the day we were to arrive was… I would have never come and intruded on the time with your family," Galinda said, clearly upset.

"No, my sweet, you aren't intruding," Elphaba said, kissing her hand gently. "I asked you to come and you accepted, that's all there is to it. If my father is upset, that's his problem and I'll take care of him if he gets out of hand. I want you to meet my brother and my grandfather, and I'm sure that they'll want to meet you, too. This is most likely the only time you'll be able to see them unless you come to visit this summer."

They were both quiet because they knew that the likelihood of Galinda visiting during the summer wasn't very good. If she hadn't already passed on by that time, she would be in the hospital and unable to go anywhere.

"I would just feel better about this whole thing if you had told me about the whole situation earlier," Galinda sighed.

Elphaba nodded. "I know, but I don't think I was ready yet. There are some things that are going to take a long time for me to tell anyone. But as long as I know that you're here with me and you're supporting me, I'll be able to deal with it."

"Will your father really disapprove of our relationship?" Galinda asked.

"Yes," Elphaba said quietly, turning Galinda around so she could look her in the eyes. "My father is a very religious man and abides by his religion very strictly. Our type of relationship is strictly outlined as evil in his religion, and that means that he will see _us_ as evil. While I may be used to this, I know that you aren't used to it, and I don't want you to be used to it. He will say things that are very insensitive, most likely insulting you, your parents, your country, our school, me, and even my grandfather."

"Why do people have to be so biased?" Galinda asked. "I don't get why they can't just accept people. Like, do you remember that Quadling student last week and how those boys wouldn't leave him alone because he was colored differently? It just made me so mad that I wanted to go up to those boys and punch them!"

"If I recall correctly, you _did_ go up and punch them," Elphaba laughed, making Galinda smile slightly. "Don't worry, Galinda. Everything is going to be okay. And I'm sure that next time anyone makes fun of that Quadling student, he'll punch them himself."

Galinda blushed. "He looked kind of surprised," she said quietly.

"I would be surprised if a girl only half as tall as I am went up to a boy who was making fun of me and punched him," Elphaba said.

"Hey!" Galinda protested, her eyes narrowing. "Just because I'm vertically challenged doesn't mean you can make fun of me for it!"

"You aren't vertically challenged, my sweet," Elphaba said with a straight face. "You're short. Face it, Galinda; you've passed your growth spurt."

The blonde stuck her tongue out at Elphaba. "That's not nice," she pouted.

"It's true," Elphaba said, grinning at her.

"It's mean," she protested. "I mean, I don't make fun of _you_ for being _tall_. That would just be stupid."

Her stomach growled and she grinned sheepishly. "I think I'm ready to get something to eat now," she said quietly."

"Come on," Elphaba said, rolling her eyes, and helping her stand. "Let's see what we have. Are you really hungry or are you sort of hungry?"

Galinda's stomach growled again and she blushed. "Really hungry," she said.

"Okay, we have chicken parmesan, baked ziti, um, what is this?"

She looked over Elphaba's shoulder. "I have no idea, but it looks disgusting," she said. "Is that grilled shrimp?"

"Um, yeah," Elphaba said, taking out the plate of grilled shrimp. "Do you want it? I think it was made just last night."

"Does it taste good cold?" Galinda asked.

"Here, I'll heat it up," Elphaba said, wrinkling her brow and muttering a few words. There was a pop and she yelped in surprise as the plate grew hot. "I really have got to work on that spell," she muttered to herself.

"Elphie, don't hurt yourself!" Galinda exclaimed as Elphaba set the plate down on the table. "You know I don't like it when you do that."

"I'm fine," Elphaba said, rolling her eyes.

"But what if you got hurt?"

"I've told you before, I'm not going to get hurt," Elphaba said. "Now eat, I can hear your stomach growling from all the way over here."

"Just… don't use magic like that while we're on the train," Galinda said. "Please, for me? I really don't want anything to happen to you."

Elphaba sighed. "Fine," she said, taking Galinda's hands in her own. "But just this one time. I'm never going to get better if I don't practice. And if I don't get better, then I won't be able to meet the Wizard."

"When did the Wizard come into this?" Galinda asked in surprise.

"Didn't I tell you?" Elphaba asked. "Last week, Madame Morrible said that a letter had come for me from the Wizard. It said that he looks forward to meeting me and that a letter will come after winter break inviting me to visit him in the Emerald City."

"That's amazing!" Galinda exclaimed, kissing her with fervor. "Oh, why didn't you tell me? This is fantastic! Are you going to tell your family?"

She shrugged. "I don't know. It might ease the relationship with my father, but my grandfather might not be too happy with it considering he's not in such a good position with the Wizard. He doesn't like that the Yellow Brick Road has been built into Munchkinland and he's currently negotiating with ambassadors from the Wizard."

"But hasn't the Yellow Brick Road improved traveling conditions?" Galinda asked.

"Exactly," Elphaba said. "He's upset that he didn't come up with the idea himself, and he's had it torn up three times before he finally just left it there. Munchkinlanders were starting to complain and he had to listen to them or they would have revolted."

"But still, it's wonderful that the Wizard wants to see you!" Galinda said, smiling.

"He originally wanted to see me over the winter break, but I said that I already had plans and I couldn't cancel," Elphaba said.

"You could have gone during the time you were supposed to come home with me," Galinda said.

"No, I'm not going to pass up the chance to spend time with you," Elphaba said. "I mean, the Wizard specifically said in his letter that he would be sending an invitation later if I couldn't come over winter break. Galinda, I want to come with you and visit your home with you. Spending time with you is much more important than seeing some Wizard."

"Really?" Galinda asked, her eyes wide.

"Of course it is," Elphaba said, giving her a small smile. "Besides, the Wizard has specific requirements I have to meet, and you'll just take me for who I am."

"Oh, Elphie," Galinda said, hugging her tightly. "I love you so much."

"I love you to, Galinda."

_**Hope you liked it! I'll probably be updating next on Monday or Tuesday, tomorrow if I can, but I doubt it. Speaking of tomorrow, wish your moms a happy Mother's Day! Thank you for everyone reading and reviewing, and please REVIEW! Thanks again!**_

_**ReallyObsessiveWriter**_

5


	19. Chapter 19

_**Here's the next chapter. I was going to post it last night, but it was really late and I REALLY need to catch up on my sleep. Enjoy!**_

The train ride passed quickly for the two girls and before they knew it, they had arrived in the Glikkus at the Glikkus Canals. Elphaba carried their traveling bags and they stood in the station for a few minutes before a man dressed in a suit walked up to them.

"Your Eminence, it's nice to see you well," he said, bowing low at the waist. "How was your journey? Everything was satisfactory?"

"Everything was perfect, as usual Karim," Elphaba said, smiling slightly as he straightened. "Galinda, this is one of the ambassadors from Munchkinland, Karim. He controls relations with Gillikin, so he was in charge of our trip from Shiz. Karim, this is my roommate and girlfriend, Galinda Upland of the Upper Uplands, of the Arduenna Clan."

A look of surprised appeared on his face, but it quickly disappeared. "It is an honor to meet you, Miss Upland," he said, bowing to her, although his bow was not as low as his bow to Elphaba. "Your Eminence, we are not prepared for the arrival of your friend. We had no word from you about…"

"I will take care of everything," Elphaba said. "If His Eminence questions you about her visit, tell him that I am completely responsible. I will also arrange all accommodations for her, although word should be sent forward to prepare for her arrival. Have them prepare the suite by my room."

Galinda looked on in astonishment as Elphaba took control of the situation. Karim nodded and pulled a notebook out of his pocket, taking a few notes before putting it away. "Is your luggage in the car?" he asked, nodding towards the train car they had just exited.

"No, it's in with all of the other passenger's luggage," Elphaba said. "Has my sister already crossed the Glikkus Canals?"

"She arrived late last night and crossed this morning," Karim said. "She should be arriving in Upper Applerue right about now, where she will be waiting to travel the rest of the way with us."

Elphaba made a face, which Karim pretended not to see. "Shall I have Bartoq go get your baggage?"

She nodded. "Yes, I have my usual suitcase, and Galinda's is probably the only pink one in there. If there _is_ more than one pink suitcase, then it will have a tag with her name on it."

Karim nodded and whistled shrilly, and a Munchkin sprung to his side. "Your Eminence," he said, bowing to Elphaba.

"Bartoq, go get Miss Thropp's and Miss Upland's luggage from the luggage car," Karim said. "Miss Upland's is a large pink suitcase and should have a tag on it marked with her name. Take the luggage immediately to the carriage."

"Please," Elphaba added quickly as Bartoq bowed and scurried away.

"The carriage is this way, Your Eminence," Karim said, leading the way towards a busy street and a black carriage with the Governor's coat of arms painted on it: a quill pen and a sword imprinted on top of an eagle, a banner with the slogan, "_Sapientia est Excellens_," above it.

"What does that mean?" Galinda whispered.

"'Wisdom is superior,'" Elphaba said quietly. "It's my grandfather's slogan. Once I become Eminent Thropp, I, too, will have a coat of arms and a slogan. Of course, I have to come with this on my own. I'm supposed to working on it, but I've never been much of an artist."

"Fiyero could help you," Galinda said, surprising both of the girls. "I mean… he's an artist and he's good with that sort of thing. He knows what a lot of the symbols mean and he could probably come up with one for you right on the spot."

"Remind me about this when we get to Colwen Grounds," Elphaba said, helping Galinda into the carriage. She was just about to climb in afterwards, but Karim tapped her on the shoulder.

"May I speak with you privately," he murmured, glancing up at Galinda, who was looking at them curiously.

"Of course," Elphaba said. "But we're staying in sight of the carriage. If anything happens to Galinda…"

"We'll take a few steps away," he said.

"Galinda, I have to speak to Karim for a few minutes," Elphaba said. "I'll be right over here. If you need anything, don't be afraid to ask."

The blonde nodded and Karim and Elphaba took a few steps away from the door of the carriage and towards the horses, which were stomping impatiently. Elphaba absentmindedly patted the horse close to her and looked at Karim attentively. "What did you want to talk to me about?" she asked.

"Are you sure that it's wise to go home over winter break and bring your _girlfriend_?" he asked. "You know, most of all, how your father is. He's not going to be happy about this at all."

"I thought Nessa wrote home about this," Elphaba said, surprised.

Karim shook his head. "No, your father hasn't mentioned anything about your relationship with Miss Upland, and I doubt that he even knows of her. And you know he would be spouting nonsense out to the whole household, and probably to all of Munchkinland, if he heard of this."

"Well this makes things a little more complicated," Elphaba said, stroking the horse thoughtfully. "That would explain why I haven't gotten any angry letters from him. But I'm sure that I want to introduce her as my girlfriend. She is part of my family, now, and nothing Father says is going to change that."

"People are going to say…" Karim started.

"I know very well what people are going to say," Elphaba snapped.

He held his hands up. "I'm not saying that I disapprove of your relationship with Galinda," he said. "That's not my place, and personally, I think people should just mind their own business. But they aren't going to, and I want to prepare you for that. They're going to say you're just doing this to get attention, and that she's just with you because you're the Heir-Apparent."

"That's not true," Elphaba growled. "I'll take care of this, Karim, thank you for warning me about this. And I'm sorry for snapping at you. This is just a difficult situation as it is, and I wasn't expecting it to be like this."

"And when you tell your Father…" Karim said.

"I'll make sure that there's someone there," Elphaba said, cutting him off. "I assume that he's going to be part of the welcoming party that will be waiting for us when we arrive, along with His Eminence. That's when I planned to announce my relationship with Galinda to His Eminence. My father can find out at the same time."

"Bartoq, stop listening in on conversations!" Karim barked, and the Munchkin jumped a foot in the air, a dark red blush spreading across his face.

"I'm sorry, sir," he murmured.

"How much did you hear?" Karim asked.

"Just from the part where you said that people were going to say that she's with you because you're Heir-Apparent," he said, looking down at the ground. "Honest, I didn't hear anything more than that sir, Your Eminence."

Elphaba sighed. "Try not to make eavesdropping a habit, Bartoq," she said. "Go ahead and get in the driver's seat. Karim, I would appreciate if Galinda and I had the cab to ourselves, would you mind sitting up with Bartoq? And please don't scold him."

Karim nodded tersely and helped Elphaba climb into the carriage, shutting the door behind her. Galinda looked at Elphaba with confusion. "What was that about?" she asked.

"It was quite stupid, actually," Elphaba said, sighing. "Karim was trying to warn me about my father's reaction to yours and my relationship. Apparently, Nessa _didn't_ write to him about us being together. Then he said that people are going to say the only reason I'm with you is for the attention, and the only reason you're with me is because I'm the Heir-Apparent."

"That's not true," Galinda said indignantly, a blush immediately rising to her cheeks. "I mean, we love each other."

"Yes," Elphaba said in a comforting tone wrapping an arm around Galinda's shoulders. "Besides, I don't _need_ any more attention than I already have. If Karim hadn't already noticed, I'm green. I think he thought himself that the only reason I'm with you is for the attention."

"Well, that's extremely rude of him," Galinda said, crossing her arms over her chest. "I don't think he should go accusing people of things like that."

The carriage lurched forward and Elphaba prevented Galinda from falling off the seat. "We're going to have to be careful about that," Elphaba muttered. "I hadn't thought about how bumpy a carriage ride over cobbled stone could be, especially when it hasn't been replaced in decades. Are you okay, no bruises?"

Galinda nodded. "Elphie, I'm fine. I'm not a porcelain doll."

Elphaba sighed. "I can't lose you," she whispered. "I'm… I'm not ready. My research isn't finished."

"What do you mean your research isn't finished?" Galinda asked quietly.

"I promised you that I'm going to do everything I can to heal you," Elphaba said, taking her hands in her own. "For the past month, I've been researching on hemophilia in the library and trying to find possible cures for it. I've also used my independent investigation time in my sorcery seminar with Madame Morrible to research for it. She said it was an acceptable project."

"How is that an acceptable project for your sorcery seminar?" Galinda asked, and then her eyes widened. "You are _not_ going to try and heal me using magic! Do you know how risky that is? I've had tons of sorcerers and doctors look at me, and tons of spells cast, but nothing has worked, and any effects that they might have had just backfired on the caster and… no, I won't let you do it."

"Galinda, I don't make promises so I can break them," Elphaba whispered.

"Some promises are meant to be broken," Galinda snapped.

"I told you, Galinda, I don't make promises so they can be broken," Elphaba said. "Madame Morrible is supervising me very closely and I haven't done anything that's put anything or anyone, including myself, in danger. Do you really think that I'm that careless?"

"No, I just think that sometimes you take on tasks that are too big for you," Galinda said, pulling her hands out of Elphaba's grip and crossing her arms over her chest. "Or you take on things that you simply can't accomplish. Do you remember two weeks ago when it started raining and you insisted that I use your coat so I wouldn't ruin my dress? You ended up with a whole bunch of burns and a cold! Some things aren't worth it, Elphaba."

"Are you saying your life isn't worth it?" Elphaba yelled.

"Not when you're trading your life!" Galinda yelled back, and they were both quiet, Galinda because she couldn't believe she had just yelled that, and Elphaba because she was surprised.

"You think I'm going to die?" she whispered.

"It's just… about two years ago, a sorcerer came to our house and said he had a cure for my hemophilia. My parents made him sign a contract stating that any harm that came to me from the spell would be my parents' responsibility and any harm that came to the sorcerer from the spell would be his responsibility and his fault. He cast the spell, it backfired, and he… he died."

She sobbed into her hands and Elphaba reached out to draw her into a hug, but the blonde just trembled at her touch and moved away. "I don't want you to die too," she sobbed. "As much as I don't want to be a hemophiliac, I don't want you to die for me."

"Galinda, do you really think I would trade my life for yours when I know it would hurt you so much?" Elphaba whispered soothingly, gathering Galinda into her arms and wiping her tears from her cheeks with a finger, ignoring the sting. "There are ways you can prevent such things from happening, and I would never attempt a spell I wasn't sure about, especially without wards protecting me and the people around me from danger."

"Do you promise not to trade your life for mine?" Galinda whispered.

"There is no spell that can do that," Elphaba said quietly. "So you don't even need to worry about it."

"But do you promise not to cast a spell that could kill you?" Galinda asked.

"Any spell could kill anyone, if cast the wrong way," Elphaba said. "I promise I'll be careful, okay? That's the most I can do."

Galinda looked into Elphaba's face for a moment. "Fine," she said. "But we _are_ talking about this later."

Elphaba nodded and the rest of the ride was silent as Galinda dozed off on Elphaba's shoulder and Elphaba stared out the small window of the carriage, watching as they passed over bridges that spanned the Glikkus Canals. Finally, they stopped, and the door opened, Karim helping first Galinda, and then Elphaba down out of the carriage.

"Welcome to Munchkinland," he said. "This is Upper Applerue, and as its name suggests, it is the chief exporter of apples. This is the inn we will be staying in, _The Golden Apples_. Bartoq will take your luggage up to your rooms. Your Eminence, your sister is waiting for you in the lobby. I think she wants to speak to you."

"Thank you, Karim," Elphaba said, lacing her fingers with Galinda's. "And make sure that you thank Bartoq, too."

They walked towards the entrance of the inn. "The Munchkins don't get enough appreciation," Elphaba said. "A lot of people just move to Munchkinland, kick some Munchkins off a piece of land, and start building. That's how Upper Applerue came about. Notice how none of the buildings are designed for Munchkins."

As they walked into the inn, an eerie silence greeted them, interrupted only by the turning of a page. The lobby was deserted with the exception of a few men and women who were scurrying around, the Governor's coat of arms emblazoned on the backs of their jackets, and Nessa, whose wheelchair had been pushed over to a bright lamp.

"Elphaba," she said, looking up from her book. "Miss Galinda, what a _pleasant_ surprise. You do know Father won't be happy about this, don't you?"

"That is none of your business, Nessa," Elphaba said, wrapping an arm around Galinda's waist and pulling her close. Nessa wrinkled her nose in disgust and looked back down at her book, finishing the page and closing it softly.

"I _will_ be telling Father as soon as we get home," she said, eyes flashing.

"No need," Elphaba replied, surprising her sister. "I was planning on telling him as soon as we walk through the front door. Karim told me that Father hadn't mentioned anything, so I assumed you had written him yet."

Nessa shook her head. "I wanted to tell him in person," she said. "And since he cancelled his visit to Shiz University because it would have been so close to winter break, I decided I would tell him when we came home. Although, it will be much more entertaining with _you_ telling him, especially when _she's_ there with you."

"Galinda has a name," Elphaba said coldly. "And if this is all we're going to say to each other, we're going to head up to our room. We have a long journey ahead of us tomorrow, and the carriage ride is not going to be pleasant with the new passenger that was added."

"Who?" Nessa asked, confused.

"You'll figure it out," Elphaba said, turning and heading up the staircase to the second floor where their room was located.

"Why is this place so deserted?" Galinda asked.

"Whenever we stay somewhere away from Colwen Grounds or Shiz, we always book the whole place so there aren't threats to the Governor's family," Elphaba said, opening a door to reveal a trio of maids convened in the middle of the room, whispering urgently to each other. "Ladies, is there something I can do for you?" Elphaba asked.

"Our apologies, Your Eminence, but we don't have a third room made up for your… friend," one of the house cleaners said, glancing at Elphaba's arm that encircled Galinda's waist. "If you give us ten minutes, we can have one of the men bring up a bed, or another room made up…"

"It's fine, we'll share the room," Elphaba said. "After all, we're roommates. We're used to it by now. Don't worry about it, and please don't mention it to your manager. I don't need a herd of cows showing up at our gates as a gift of apology."

The house cleaners bowed as they left, gently shutting the door behind them. Galinda's and Elphaba's luggage had been set on the dressers, opened, and unpacked for them. They were both silent.

"Cows?" Galinda finally asked.

Elphaba shrugged. "That's what they sent the last time," she said, letting go of Galinda's waist to pull a nightdress out from a pile of clothes. "You'd better get changed and into bed, we have a long day ahead of us, especially if Nessa is going to be riding with us."

Galinda changed quickly and pulled back the covers on the bed, slipping underneath as Elphaba extinguished the lights. Elphaba got into the bed and kissed Galinda gently on the forehead before they both dropped off to sleep.

_**Hope you liked it. The next update will either be tomorrow or Thursday, Saturday at the latest. Please, PLEASE review. I really appreciate all thoughts, comments, and suggestions. Thank you to all of my readers and reviewers.**_

_**ReallyObsessiveWriter**_


	20. Chapter 20

_**Chapter twenty, wow. It's amazing to see how far this story has come… and how far it still has to go. Well, special thanks to all of my readers and reviewers as they've stuck with me during these first twenty chapters. I hope you've liked it so far, and I hope you enjoy this next chapter!**_

"It's time to get up," Elphaba whispered, gently shaking Galinda awake. "The carriage is out front waiting for us and most of our luggage is already loaded. You just need to get changed quickly and then you can go back to sleep in the carriage."

Galinda moaned and turned over, pulling the blankets over her head. "Go away," she said. "I'm trying to sleep."

"If you don't get up right now and get changed, then I'm just going to have your traveling bag taken out to the carriage and you can travel in what you're dressed in now," Elphaba threatened, and Galinda quickly sat up, looking at her with wide eyes.

"You wouldn't do that would you?" she asked.

"No, but now that you're up, you can change," Elphaba said, dropping Galinda's traveling bag on the bed. "Now hurry up and get dressed. Nessa is already downstairs and she's going to be complaining the whole ride if we aren't down there soon. And then you definitely won't be able to sleep in the carriage."

"Okay, okay, I'm changing," Galinda said, slipping into her dress and putting her nightclothes in her traveling bag. "Just let me brush my teeth and do my hair and makeup and you can take that down."

She jumped out of bed, rushing into the bathroom to brush her teeth. A few minutes later, she came out with her hair immaculately curled. "How do I look?" she asked.

"Stunning," Elphaba said, drawing her into an embrace. "I still don't get how you do that in such a short amount of time."

"I'll have to show you sometime," Galinda said, kissing her quickly before putting the rest of her things in her traveling bag. "Come on, isn't you sister waiting downstairs?"

Elphaba nodded and grabbed Galinda's traveling bag and laced their fingers together as they made their way down to the lobby. Nessa was waiting impatiently with Karim standing beside her, looking at his clipboard and writing down notes. As soon as Galinda and Elphaba entered the room, Bartoq took the traveling bag from Elphaba's hand and went to put it in the carriage.

"I trust you had a good night's rest," Karim said, bowing to Elphaba. "Is there anything I can get you? Coffee? Tea? Something to eat?"

"Do you want anything, my sweet?" Elphaba asked, looking down at Galinda. "You can have anything you want."

"Are we going to be stopping for breakfast?" Galinda asked.

"I should certainly hope so," Nessa snapped. "Karim, let's just get going before we're stuck here with Elphaba asking Galinda a billion questions. Some of us would actually like to get home."

"Oh, be quiet," Elphaba said, rolling her eyes. "The only reason you're upset is because Galinda is with me and I'm not devoting all of my attention to you. Karim, would you please help my sister into the carriage? Galinda and I will be right out."

Nessa protested as Karim pushed her wheelchair out of the lobby and towards the carriage and Elphaba turned to Galinda. "I just want to warn you my sister complains _a lot_," she said. "She can be very enjoyable when she wants to be, but she doesn't want to be right now. And she's probably going to say a lot of insulting things."

"Why don't we just get another carriage, then?" Galinda asked.

"Because, for some reason, Nessa wanted to ride with us," Elphaba said, shaking her head in confusion. "If, at anytime, it gets too uncomfortable, I can always get a second carriage and have Nessa ride by herself."

"I'll be fine," Galinda said, stroking Elphaba's cheek softly. "You're cute when you worry, you know that, right?"

Elphaba smiled and chuckled. "And you're beautiful… all the time," she whispered. "Now why don't we get out to the carriage before my sister spontaneously combusts? I really don't want to be responsible for her gruesome death."

Galinda giggled and Elphaba took her hand, leading her out to the carriage and helping her in. She climbed in afterwards, refusing Karim's help, and shut the door behind her, smiling at Nessa's scowling face.

"How are you this fine morning?" Elphaba asked as the carriage lurched forward.

"Disgusted," Nessa sneered as Galinda leaned her head on Elphaba's shoulder, falling asleep almost immediately.

"Nessa, please don't start," Elphaba begged.

"What? Telling you how wrong this is relationship is?" Nessa asked. "Because it _is_ wrong. It's against everything Father preaches! And you know that. It's a sin to lead another person down a path of evil. I wouldn't be as upset if it was just her doing this, but she had to bring you along, too!"

"You will _not_ say _anything_ insulting to Galinda, do you understand me?" Elphaba said angrily. "I am the Heir-Apparent, and although I have restrained from using the power granted to me by the Eminent Thropp in the past, I will not hesitate to expel you from Colwen Grounds if you continue this inappropriate behavior towards my guest."

"What?" Nessa asked incredulously.

"I said that you don't cross me, and I won't cross you," Elphaba said, her eyes narrowing dangerously. "Nessa, you're my sister and I love you, but there comes a point in time when I can't stand your comments any more. You've reached that point. I suggest that you take my next piece of advice. If you don't have anything nice to say, _don't say anything at all_."

Nessarose looked shocked and her mouth opened and closed soundlessly as she stared at Elphaba. Galinda stirred and Elphaba quickly looked away from her sister, diverting all of her attention to the blonde.

"Did I wake you?" she whispered.

Galinda shook her head. "Just not sleepy anymore," she yawned. "What were you two talking about?"

Elphaba glanced at Nessa with a look of warning. "Nothing in particular," the wheelchair bound girl said. Galinda looked at Elphaba uncertainly.

"I'll tell you later," she whispered, and Nessa glared daggers at her.

They came to Center Munch late that night. Elphaba and Galinda fell asleep as soon as their heads hit the pillows and were both glad when they could sleep in a few hours the next day because the ride wasn't as long. Center Munch was the beginning, or the end depending on how you looked at it, of the Yellow Brick Road in Munchkinland.

"That's as far as the Eminent Thropp would allow the Wizard to build," Elphaba said as they stood outside the inn the next morning waiting for Bartoq to hook the horses up to the carriage. "Any farther than this, and the whole road would be ripped up. As I said earlier, he's done it before and wouldn't hesitate to do it again."

The journey to Colwen Grounds wasn't as difficult as the day before because of the Yellow Brick Road. There were hardly any bumps and it went rather quickly as the horses trotted along at a brisk pace. Colwen Grounds had come into view by seven o'clock, and they were soon climbing out of the carriage to meet the welcoming party that had assembled for them.

Galinda looked up in awe at the Thropp mansion, which was centered in the middle of hundreds of acres of land. It was the only land for miles that wasn't used for farming or forestry and was the pride and joy of the Eminent Thropp. The mansion itself was a monster, with tall white columns supporting a red-shingled roof and large doors requiring two men to open.

A small party of people had gathered out front. Elphaba pointed them out to Galinda quickly through the small window of the carriage as Karim slowly walked around to open the door. "That's my father in the red coat there and the strained look, that's Nanny, our nurse way back from when I was just born. She's the old woman dressed in the green dress. And that older man talking to the stable boy is my grandfather, the Eminent Thropp. If you address him, call him Your Eminence a lot, he's seem to appreciate that."

Karim opened the door and helped Nessarose out and into her wheelchair as Nanny bustled forward, her hands fluttering as she only hindered the process. After Nessa was settled, she took the handles of the wheelchair and slowly pushed her towards the rest of the welcoming party.

Next, Karim helped Elphaba out, who politely nodded her thanks, and then Galinda, who gave him a whispered thank you. Elphaba waited for Galinda to join her before walking towards the reception.

"Elphaba, you seem to have flourished in Shiz," her grandfather noted.

"Thank you, Your Eminence," she said, bowing her head slightly. "You seem to be doing quite well, as well."

He waved his hand at the title she gave him. "Call me by what I am, your grandfather," he said.

"Have you been taking good care of Nessarose?" her Father asked.

Nessa just harrumphed and crossed her arms over her chest grumpily.

"Oh, wait to talk about family matters until after the guest has been introduced," her grandfather said, pushing her father back. "Who is this beautiful and charming young lady that you've brought with you? I don't seem to recall you mentioning bringing a friend in any of your letters home."

Elphaba swallowed with difficulty and glanced down at Galinda, who gave her an encouraging nod. "Grandfather, Father, Nanny, this is Galinda Upland of the Upper Uplands, of the Arduenna Clan."

"Ah, a very influential family," her grandfather said, interrupting. "I didn't know that you were making such social connections. I thought you would be focusing solely on your education. Not that I'm disappointed, my girl. You've done a splendid job with your schoolwork. Now, where did you say you knew her from?"

Galinda took her hand and gave it an encouraging squeeze behind their backs. Karim nodded from behind the Eminent Thropp, silently telling her to continue with caution. Nessarose smirked at her with satisfaction, obviously certain that Elphaba would mess this up.

"She's my roommate," Elphaba said, and she could almost feel the disappointment emanating from Galinda beside her as she paused. She looked down and smiled at her. "And my girlfriend."

_**Hope you liked it. A bit of a cliffhanger there. Well, my next update it will either be in the next three days or sometime next week. I don't know when life will hit me over the head again with a whole bunch of stuff to do, so I never know when I'm going to be able to post. Please REVIEW!!! It really is appreciated! And, once again, thank you to all of my loyal readers and reviewers. I would list all of you, except there are so many people that I would have to mention, that it would probably take up a whole lot of space, and I don't have much time. And I don't want to miss anyone, either. So if you're reading this right now, THANKS!!!**_

_**ReallyObsessiveWriter**_

4


	21. Chapter 21

_**I couldn't just leave you guys with a cliffhanger like that for a few days, so here's the next chapter. Enjoy!**_

There was a moment of silence before everyone broke out into talking or yelling.

"_What_ do you think you're doing…"

"Why didn't you…"

"…dishonor to the family…"

"…Nessa, why didn't you write…"

"Gave me a fright…"

"…your mother would…"

Finally, Elphaba's grandfather broke through the noise and managed to quiet everyone with a sweep of his arms. Frexspar looked livid as he glared at Galinda and Elphaba with an intense hatred. Nessa looked smug, with her arms folded over her chest and a smirk on her face. Nanny looked horrified and about to have a heart attack. Several servants had stopped from their errand routes to listen in and stare.

"Now, why don't we bring this conversation inside so we can speak privately," he said, looking around at all of the servants, who immediately went back to work running their errands, unloading the carriage, and gardening.

They moved inside the mansion in the front hall and Galinda looked around in awe. The floor was a green marble and a magnificent staircase led up to the second floor balcony looking over the front hall. The Eminent Thropp led them to the left and down a hallways to an office, going in as a servant opened the door for him.

As soon as the door closed, people burst out again.

"Elphaba, what are you thinking bringing her here…"

"I _told_ you that you would be in big trouble, but _no_, you wouldn't listen…"

"Your poor dead mother, what would poor Melena think…"

"…and don't you _dare_ mention Melena in my presence…"

"…and you've brought Galinda along with you…"

"…oh, her poor soul, may she rest in peace and never know…"

"QUIET!"

Everyone shut up and stared at the Eminent Thropp in surprise. Galinda had managed to make herself disappear in part by stepping behind Elphaba, who stood in front of her protectively, a determined expression on her face.

"Now, as much as I would like to listen to all of you, and I can't listen to all of you at the same time," the Eminent Thropp said, staring down Nessa, Nanny, and Frexspar. "One at a time, please. Nessa, go first, since you were most likely the first person who knew in this family."

Nessa smiled smugly at Elphaba before starting. "I was appalled when I found out," she stared. "It was about a month ago, and I came down to breakfast in the cafeteria, and there she was, arguing with the whole of the cafeteria, and holding hands with Galinda! I told her that she should repent to the Unnamed God and abandon that sinful girl…"

"I told you that I would kick you off Colwen Grounds if you said one more word against her!" Elphaba yelled, surprising everyone, including Nessa. "I want you off the grounds in the next hour, I don't want to see your face, or hear your voice, or even _sense_ that you're here! _GET OUT!_"

"You can't kick her off the grounds!" Nanny exclaimed.

"Yes, I can," Elphaba growled. "I know I haven't done much in the past, but right now, I invoke my powers as Heir-Apparent and banish you from the grounds!"

"Elphaba Adrianna Thropp, you will take back what you said immediately!" her father yelled, his facing turning redder by the second. "You do not have the authority to banish _your sister_ from the grounds! Every word that she spoke was the truth. I can't believe you would turn your back on the Unnamed God like this…"

"I never believed in the Unnamed God!" Elphaba yelled, cutting him off. "You just wanted to believe that so you could have as close to a perfect family as possible with a crippled girl you call daughter even though you don't know if you fathered her, a green girl who you _know_ isn't your daughter, a dead wife you cheated on you every chance she got, and a son that you never wanted!"

"Shut up!" her father roared, toppling over a chair. "Stop spouting out untruths! You have crossed the line and gone too far this time, Elphaba! There is no way the Unnamed God will accept you when you die! You have turned your back on the Unnamed God, and therefore you have turned your back on this family!

He turned to Nessa, turning his back on Elphaba. "Nessa, you will immediately be going back to Shiz University to finish your education. Shell and I will be going back to Quadling Country to continue my missions work there, and I won't be coming back until that… that… that _thing_ is good and gone."

"You won't be taking Shell with you," Elphaba said quietly but dangerously.

Narrowing his eyes, he glared at her. "And what gives you the right to control what I do and don't do?" he asked.

"Quadling Country is not place for a child," Elphaba said.

"You were there when you were a child…" Frexspar started.

"And look what's happened to me!" Elphaba yelled. "I have scars from all of my contact with water, you dragged me into bars, I was almost _raped_ multiple times by drunks, and I was forced to sing for a cause I didn't believe in!"

"Shell is nothing like you," Frexspar growled.

"No, he's better, and he deserves better," Elphaba said. "He'll be staying here with grandfather and the servants to look after him. Not in some hut in the wild where drunks stop by every few hours to be baptized in the name of Unnamed God just so they can get free wine!"

"He will be staying here at Colwen Grounds," the Eminent Thropp said, drawing an angry look from Frexspar, who wisely kept his mouth shut. "That is the one thing I agree with Elphaba on. Quadling Country is no place for a child. Frexspar, you may go to Quadling Country, and Nessa, your travel arrangements will immediately be made to go back to Shiz University. You may both leave; I will see you off within the hour."

Frexspar looked like he was going to protest.

"I _am_ going to speak to Elphaba," the Eminent Thropp said, looking at her sternly.

Nessa, Nanny, and Frexspar left the office and closed the door behind them. The Eminent Thropp looked at Elphaba, sat down heavily in his chair, and sighed. "You might as well have a seat," he said, putting his head in his hands. "Elphaba, Elphaba, Elphaba, what am I going to do with you?"

"I don't know, sir," she said, sitting down and Galinda sitting next to her.

"Elphaba, you don't seriously think I'm going to scold you, do you?" he asked incredulously, looking up at her.

She shrugged. "I have no idea what you're going to do," she said.

"I don't disapprove of your relationship," he said. "What I _do_ disapprove of is the way you handled that situation. This could have been much easier on all of us and wouldn't have embarrassed us in front of our guest."

He nodded politely to Galinda before continuing. "You could have written to me about this beforehand and I could have started to prepare you father for the shock. Now, I know that he is very intolerant and most likely would have reacted in the same way, but I probably could have gotten him out of here before you arrived. And Nessa could have permanently stayed at Shiz instead of having me waste the money for her traveling expenses for her just to turn around and go right back."

"I apologize for the inconveniences," Elphaba said, bowing her head in shame.

"I'm not scolding you, Elphaba," he said. "Actually, I'm impressed by what you did. You stood up to your father and your sister and you didn't give any ground. You have great potential as future Eminent Thropp. Although, I assume that you'll be finishing your education at Shiz."

Elphaba nodded. "I've been trying to make that clear to you from the start," she said with a small smile.

He smiled back at her. "You know you'll have to make an official announcement, right?" he asked.

"Um, about that," Elphaba said uncomfortably. "Galinda, would you like to tell him about your… or do you want me to tell him?"

Galinda looked at her uncertainly and then she understood. "You can tell him," she whispered.

"Grandfather, Galinda has hemophilia," Elphaba said quietly. "That basically means her blood can't clot, so every time she gets a cut or bruise, it just keeps bleeding until she gets medical help."

She took a deep breath. "She has a more serious form of the disease, something that the doctors have never seen before," she continued. "I'm trying to find a cure for her myself, but so far, no one has been able to come up with anything that works. The infusions that are used on others with hemophilia no longer work. The doctors have given her two months to live, now."

He stared at her in shock. "I… I'm sorry," he whispered. "So, I'm assuming that you don't want to make a public appearance with her?"

"No, I'm not saying that," Elphaba said quickly, glancing over at Galinda, who was staring into her lap. "It's just… I didn't know what you would want to do just in case… if she… it would be very hard to explain to all of Munchkinland, is what I mean."

"I'll get my top doctors on it as soon as possible," he said. "Miss Upland, I really am sorry about this, and I apologize for the rude behavior my son-in-law and my granddaughter exhibited. I promise your stay will be comfortable and enjoyable. Are you staying all of winter break?"

She shook her head. "No, I think Elphaba said I was staying two weeks, and then I'm going to be going back to Pertha Hills, where my family is. I'll spend the rest of my time there. I invited Elphaba to come, if she's allowed."

"Of course," he said. "She can do as she pleases. Once again, I'm terribly sorry about what you just saw; I promise it won't happen again. If you need anything, just tell Elphaba and I'm sure that she'll take care of it for you. I apologize for having to run off on you like this, but I have to take care of matters with Nessarose and Frexspar. Neither of them are going to be very happy. Elphaba, do you want a formal dinner tonight?"

"I think we're just going to relax," Elphaba said. "I'll show Galinda around the mansion and up to her room, and then we'll head down the informal dining room and see what we can get ourselves to eat."

He nodded and stood. "Just make sure you don't disturb any of the servants," he said. "Some of them are a little upset because they aren't able to go home for the holiday. And no, Elphaba, it isn't because I won't pay for the expenses."

Giving one last polite nod to Elphaba, he left the office, heading after Frexspar and Nessa. Elphaba slouched in her chair and sighed in relief. "That wasn't as hard as I thought it was going to be," she whispered. "And I'm sorry that you had to see that. I'm lucky it didn't get any worse. My father has been known to… well, you know."

Galinda nodded. "I'm sorry that the whole hemophilia thing is causing problems," she whispered.

"No, no, no," Elphaba said, sitting up and grasping Galinda's hand. "Don't worry yourself about that. If it's anyone's fault, it's mine for bringing it up. There aren't going to be any problems, you're going to be fine. It isn't your fault."

"And it isn't yours," Galinda said gently. "I know that you blame yourself for the pain I suffer, and I really wish you wouldn't. It isn't anyone's fault, and as you said, I'm going to be fine. _We're_ going to be fine."

Elphaba nodded. "Yes, we're going to be fine," she whispered.

_**I hope you guys liked it. Please leave reviews, I really appreciate it. The next chapter will most likely be on its way tomorrow. Thank you to all of my readers and reviewers, I really appreciate you guys taking the time to read this story and tell me what you think about it and give me friendly (hopefully) criticisms. Thanks again!**_

_**ReallyObsessiveWriter**_

4


	22. Chapter 22

Elphaba and Galinda walked along a hall hand-in-hand as servants rushed passed, seemingly unaware of the young couple. In reality, they were recording this moment in their memory so that the next time they went to town, they would be the source of the juiciest gossip. The Heir-Apparent, that lonely, secluded green girl who so very rarely made public appearances, had fall in love! And not only had she fallen in love, but she had fallen in love with a _girl_!

But the girls didn't notice, or they simply didn't care. Elphaba pointed out pieces of art, furniture, and certain aspects of the architecture to tell stories to Galinda, or just to make sure that she knew something. Galinda was smiling, looking around eagerly and keeping a tight hold on Elphaba's hand.

"These are the servants' quarters here," Elphaba said, opening a large door and pulling Galinda inside. "Technically, we're not allowed to be back here, but no one minds if I come back here, and they won't mind if you're back here, either. This is the best place to get the gossip from around the mansion because the servants are everywhere and they hear everything."

"Well, then, I'll have to come here when you don't fulfill my gossiping needs," Galinda said, grinning up at Elphaba who only rolled her eyes and shook her head.

An older woman shuffled up to Elphaba and her eyes darted from Elphaba to Galinda and back again. "Is this the young lady you're getting married to?" she asked, and Galinda's jaw dropped.

"That's the one bad thing about gossip," Elphaba whispered to Galinda. "Everything is always blown out of proportion." She turned to the old woman. "Hannah, this is my girlfriend, Galinda Upland. Galinda, this is one of our cooks, Hannah. No, Hannah, we aren't getting married, we're just dating."

Hannah looked disappointed. "A wedding has been long overdue," she muttered to herself. "Haven't had a wedding since the Eminent Thropp himself, and that happened when I was a young girl. If only Melena and Frex hadn't run off together."

She shuffled away and Galinda stared after her. "Why in the world would _anyone_ think that we were getting married?" she asked. "I mean, we've only been dating for a month, _I'm_ certainly not ready for that!"

"And I'm not, either," Elphaba said gently. "As you've probably noticed, everyone in the mansion is watching our every move, and I can guarantee that at least one of them is going to be reporting back to my grandfather. He's always said that in order to run a house, or, in this case, a mansion, you have to know_ everything_ that's going on, and the best place to get that information is from a servant."

"So they're spying on us?" Galinda asked.

Elphaba laughed. "No, of course not!" she said. "If they were spying on us, they would be hiding from us, as well. They're observing us, although some of them are probably finding some excuse to pass by us several times and listen in on our conversation."

She glared in the direction of a young boy who had passed them five times and was now slowly dusting a doorknob. He blushed and scampered away, earning several reprimanding glares from servants who passed him by.

"Come on, I'll show you up to your room," Elphaba said, leading her out of the servants' quarters and into a large hallway where the walls were decorated with expensive pieces of art. They walked down to the end of the hallway and turned immediately right and into a door.

Galinda gasped as she looked around the room. They had just entered a large bedroom painted light blue. A large bed stood in the middle of the room with the headboard pushed up against the wall, the sheets covered in a pattern of flowers. Pushed up against the walls were a matching vanity, dresser, and bedside table set, all painted white. Galinda's luggage had been unpacked and set out for her, her toiletries and makeup laid out on the dresser, her dresses hung up in the closet, her shoes arranged against the wall, and the rest of her things neatly put in the dresser.

"Do you like it?" Elphaba asked anxiously. "The bathroom is through that door there, I don't know if it's going to be big enough for you."

The blonde let go of Elphaba's hand to go in the bathroom and came out with tears in her eyes. "It's perfect," she whispered. "Oh, Elphaba, it's beautiful!"

"It can be yours if you want," Elphaba whispered. "If you really like it that much. Whenever you come to visit, you can have this room, and no other guests will stay here, not that they would, anyways, because my room is right next door. But it could be just yours, no one else coming in it, except the servants when they're cleaning."

"Really, it would be all mine?" Galinda asked, the tears now trickling down her cheeks. She suddenly rushed forward and hugged Elphaba, almost knocking her over. "Oh, thank you so much, Elphie. I love you so much."

Elphaba recovered from shock and embraced Galinda, gently stroking her hair. "I love you, too," she whispered.

"Can I see your room, now?" Galinda asked, pulling back.

"If you really want to," Elphaba said reluctantly.

"Well, if you don't want to show it to me…" Galinda started.

"No, it's not that!" Elphaba exclaimed. "It's just… my room isn't much of a room. It doesn't have anything a bedroom would normally have other than a bed, you see… well, why don't I show you so you can _actually_ see?"

She led Galinda out of the room and to the door next to it, which was much larger and made out of a pure white wood. "It has magical qualities," she explained to Galinda. "It keeps out unwanted visitors, and keeps in things that shouldn't come out."

"And what shouldn't come out?" Galinda asked curiously.

Elphaba just shook her head and opened the door, taking Galinda by the hand and leading her inside. The room was much larger than Galinda's, although it was hard to tell because a solid wall of bookshelves had been put it only ten feet into the room. Immediately to the left was Elphaba's bed, a small table stacked with books right next to it, and to the right was a dresser and a closet.

"You see, my room is more of a personal library," Elphaba said. "I don't really like going to the main library because there are so many people in there who just ask me questions and try to strike up conversation with me. Ambassadors and such. So I just buy my own books and occasionally send a servant down to get a book for me."

She led her through a small opening, revealing a maze of bookshelves. A desk had been fit in a small nook off to the right and a couch had been squeezed into a corner off to the left. The rest was bookshelves that reached up to the ceiling, filled with books of all sizes, shapes, and colors. Galinda stared at them in awe, staring around with a look of disbelief on her face. "I never knew there could be so many books in one place other than a library," she whispered.

"Books were the only things that really kept me company before I met you," Elphaba whispered, softly stroking the spine of a book on a nearby shelf. "I could lose myself in them and not have to worry about what they thought of me, because they couldn't think. They were my refuge. This room is where I've spent most of my time here at the mansion."

There was a knock on the door and a boy about twelve or thirteen years old walked into the room, a look of confusion on his face. He wore a pair of breeches and tidy, blue, button-up shirt with a pair of boots. "Elphaba, why are Father and Nessa leaving?" he asked. "And who's that? Grandfather never said anything about you bringing a friend home for winter break."

"Galinda, this is my brother, Shell Thropp, Fifth Descending. Shell, this is my roommate Galinda Upland of the Upper Uplands," Elphaba said, introducing them to each other.

"Is it true you two are dating?" he asked curiously.

"Yes, is that okay with you?" Elphaba asked.

He shrugged. "I don't know," he said. "Father always preached about how being with someone who was the same gender as you was wrong, but I don't see anything wrong with it. You aren't doing anything to hurt anyone, are you?"

"No, you aren't," Elphaba agreed. "As to where Father and Nessa are going, Father is going to Quadling Country to resume his missions work and Nessa is going back to Shiz because… because she was being very rude to Galinda."

"Yes!" Shell yelled, pumping a fist in the air. "Nessa is always yelling at me because I'm breathing too loud or something stupid like that, and I don't have to worry about giving her headaches now! And Father won't be sitting me down for two hours every morning for my religious classes!"

He rushed out of the room, yelling the news to everyone. Elphaba just shook her head and looked at Galinda. "That's my brother," she said. "He'll grow up someday and make an excellent ambassador, but until then, I'm glad that he's my brother."

Galinda smiled. "He's cute," she said. "In a little kid way, I mean. But he has your eyes, did you know that?"

Elphaba looked at Galinda in surprise. "No, I didn't," she said. "Unfortunately, I'm not around often so I don't get to spend too much time with him. Hopefully once I graduate we'll be able to spend more time together. And I'm planning on coming home this summer for a little while since Father isn't coming back."

"You're lucky that you have siblings," Galinda whispered, leaning tiredly on Elphaba, who in turn wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

"You don't have any?" Elphaba asked.

Galinda shook her head and yawned. "No," she whispered. "I'm an only child."

"I think that you should sleep for a bit before we eat," Elphaba said.

"Will you lay with me?" Galinda asked.

"The reason we have our separate rooms is so we can sleep separately," Elphaba said, shaking her head.

Galinda stuck out her lower lip, looking up at Elphaba. "Please," she said. "Come on, I'm in a whole new place that I've never been before in a whole new country I've never visited and you're the only person here that I really know."

Elphaba sighed, giving in. "Fine," she said, rolling her eyes. "But we can't be doing this all the time."

"I know, I know," Galinda said as Elphaba led her to her bedroom. "Could we actually, um, stay in your room for now? It's kind of cozy in there."

"Okay, okay, you win," Elphaba said, putting her hands up in surrender.

The blonde snuggled down under the covers, pulling Elphaba in with her. She quickly fell asleep, her head on Elphaba's shoulder, her left arm thrown over Elphaba's midsection. Elphaba smiled slightly and sleep soon overtook her, exhaustion from their journey finally catching up with her.

_**Well, there's the chapter. I hope you liked it. I don't know if I'm going to be able to get another chapter up until Monday, but I'll see what I can do. Please, please, PLEASE review, I really appreciate it. Thank you to everyone who has read this story, and especially to those who have reviewed and given me advice and feedback, I really do appreciate and will try to take it into account when I'm writing the chapters. Thanks once again!**_

_**ReallyObsessiveWriter**_

4


	23. Chapter 23

_**Here's the next chapter, as I promised. It's a bit longer than the other ones, but not by much. Enjoy!**_

"What are we doing today?" Galinda asked after they had gotten up the next morning and gotten dressed.

"Well, first we have to eat," Elphaba said, lacing their fingers together and giving her a soft kiss. "My grandfather and brother will be joining us, so we'll be dining in the formal dining room. Afterwards, we have a couple hours of free time, so I'll show you around the grounds. I have to have lunch with the ambassadors, and you can join me for that. Grandfather will probably have some scheduling to do after lunch, I don't know if you want to come with me. After that, we can have an informal dinner and we have the rest of the day to ourselves."

Elphaba twirled Galinda around and pulled her close, engaging her in a passionate kiss. Galinda responded fiercely and they finally pulled away from each other, breathing heavily. "I love you so much," Elphaba whispered.

Galinda's eyes started to tear up. "I don't want to leave you," she whispered, burying her face in Elphaba's shoulder.

"Oh, Galinda," Elphaba whispered, stroking her hair softly and pressing her lips to the top of her head. She rocked her back and forth, whispering words in her ear to comfort her. "Nothing is going to happen to you," she said. "Everything is going to be fine, I promise. We're going to have a good time while we're on vacation and we won't worry about this, okay? Promise me that you won't worry yourself over this."

"Okay," Galinda whispered, nodding into her shoulder.

"Now let's wipe those tears away," Elphaba said lovingly, drying Galinda's eyes with the sleeve of her blouse. "Do you want to do your makeup over or just go downstairs? Here, here, don't start crying again, please. Look, I love you, and I would never let anything happen to you, you know that, right?"

"Yes," Galinda whispered, playing with the collar of Elphaba's blouse while trying to calm down. "It's just… you have so much more here than I can offer you, and you could get someone so much better than me…"

"Don't you _dare_ go there," Elphaba said, stepping back, eyes wide with horror. "Do you honestly think that I would leave you? Galinda, what has the past month been?"

"Everyone else…" Galinda started.

Elphaba shook her head. "You can't compare me to everyone else," she said, tears in her eyes. "I don't even _look_ like everyone else! Galinda, I love you, what else am I supposed to tell you? I've never left you for more than a few hours and you think that I'm going to _abandon_ you?"

"No, Elphie, please…" Galinda begged, tears starting to stream down her face again. "Just let me explain!"

"Don't _Elphie_ me!" Elphaba yelled, her tears burning tracks down her cheeks. "And don't bother explaining! I would give up everything for you, all of this at Colwen Grounds, I would abandon in a heartbeat _for you!_ And you think I'm going to leave you! I can't believe you never… I must be the worst girlfriend in the world."

She brushed passed Galinda and ran out of the room, down the hallway, and outside, ignoring the stares the servants were giving her. After five minutes, she started to even out into a long, loping pace and finally arrived out of breath at a circle of trees. There were twelve trees: an oak, a willow, a birch, an aspen, a fir, a cherry, a maple, an ash, a cedar, a linden, a spruce, and a beech tree. In the middle of the ring of trees was a large, perfectly round, flat stone. Elphaba stood just outside the circle until she calmed down, and then she stepped inside, staring down at the stone.

"Elphaba?"

Her grandfather stood just outside the ring of trees, a horse standing behind him. She walked slowly towards him, trying to come up with some explanation as to why she was here. "It isn't good to abandon Galinda like that," he said softly, nodding to a spot a couple hundred feet away where Galinda was standing with Shell next to a horse. "She has no idea where you would go and if she needed you she wouldn't know where to find you. I don't care what happened between the two of you, but you need to make sure that she's taken care of."

"It's the first time we've ever really fought," Elphaba whispered, looking down at her feet. "She just… said something that got me so mad and I couldn't hold it back and I didn't want anything to happen to her, so I did the only thing I could think of and I ran."

"She doesn't understand that, though," he said. "I know you don't like explaining things about yourself, and I know that you haven't told her what could happen if your temper gets out of hand."

They were both silent for a moment. "She told me that she was afraid that I would leave her," Elphaba finally said. "The only thing I've been doing in the past month is trying to prove to her that I love her with my whole being and making sure that she knows I won't abandon her. And here she is, getting these thoughts the whole time that I'll just take off and find someone else to replace her."

He looked at her and sighed. "I'm going to give you some advice," he said quietly. "When she gets upset and comes up with nonsense situations, just tell her that those things are never going to happen. If you run away, you're only going to make it worse."

"Thank you, grandfather," Elphaba replied after a moment of thought. "Do you think maybe you could leave the horses…?"

"We brought your horse along," he said, pointing to a black mare that was impatiently kicking at the ground. "She wants to run, so I suggest as soon as you get back to the stables you have one of the stable hands take her out."

He softened. "Elphaba, I love you. You're my granddaughter, and I want to help you as much as possible. I'm not just focused on training you to become the next great Eminent Thropp, I want you to be happy, and if you being happy means that you don't inherit my title, I'm fine with that."

"But that's what you want," Elphaba said.

"I would certainly like it if you became Eminent Thropp, but I'm not going to be angry at you if you didn't," he said. "You don't have to make the decision right now, Elphaba, you have plenty of time to think it over, and talk it over with Galinda if you want, too. This is your choice to make, not mine. Now why don't you go talk to Galinda and end all of this awkwardness so we can eat breakfast."

"Okay," Elphaba whispered. The Eminent Thropp beckoned to Shell, who mounted his horse and rode away alongside his grandfather, waving goodbye to Galinda. Elphaba stood awkwardly twenty feet away from her. "I'm sorry," she finally said.

Galinda looked up. "Are you mad at me?" she asked quietly.

Elphaba shook her head. "No, why would I be mad at you?" she asked. "You should be the one who's mad. I mean, I ran away like that and… this is my fault, I'm sorry."

"Why… why _did_ you run away?" Galinda asked.

"Because I have a horrible temper and I was getting upset," Elphaba said. "I was mad, not at you, but at myself because I didn't think… I didn't think I was being a good enough girlfriend for you if you thought that I would abandon you like that. When my temper gets out of control, things… tend to go wrong. Stuff breaks and people get hurt, and I didn't want to hurt you. So I did the only thing I knew would work and ran."

"Oh," Galinda whispered, twisting her hands together. "I thought… I thought you were mad at me and didn't want to see me."

"No," Elphaba said, stepping forward and taking Galinda into her arms. "I love you so much, and I don't think there would ever be a time where I didn't want to see you. The only reason I would ever leave you would be for your protection and for your protection only."

They stood like that for a moment, Galinda's arms wrapped around Elphaba's waist, her chin resting on Elphaba's shoulder, and Elphaba's arms wrapped around Galinda. "What is this place?" Galinda finally asked.

Elphaba turned to look at the ring of trees. "This is a sort of monument to my mother," she whispered, taking Galinda's hand in hers as she pulled back from the embrace. "I started it the day my mother died. For every year she's been dead, I've planted a tree. I need to plant another tree this year. Year thirteen, tree thirteen."

"It's beautiful," Galinda whispered.

"Come here, I want to show you something," Elphaba said, gently pulling her towards the ring. They stepped inside and a slight breeze blew through the circle, touching only the leaves of those twelve trees and Elphaba and Galinda. It seemed as though someone was whispering and trying to tell them something.

Then Elphaba started to sing. It started out quietly at first, so quietly that Galinda didn't know that she was singing until she saw her lips moving. Then it got louder so she could hear the lyrics of the song. It was in a different language, something that she couldn't translate, but she got the general meaning of the song.

It was a song of longing. Longing for another world where she would be accepted for who she was instead of having to try to blend into the background. It was a song of loss. She lived in a world where she had lost so much, her mother, her father, her sister, and the potential that she could lose someone else who was dear to her along life's journey. And it was a song of love. Love for her mother, who had died so long ago that she could barely remember her, love for the world of nature around her where she wasn't always being observed and judged, and love for Galinda.

The song ended and Elphaba closed her eyes. Her voice echoed around in the circle of trees, and then gradually changed into a more mature voice. It was the same song with different words. A reply to the verses Elphaba had sung. Galinda grasped Elphaba's hand tightly as she looked around for the source of this singing, but they were the only ones there.

Galinda blinked her eyes, and suddenly a woman appeared. Elphaba's eyes were now open and she was smiling at the woman, who, now that Galinda looked, had a striking similarity to her. The woman was dressed in a light blue dress, her black hair blowing in the wind. Her face looked so much like Elphaba's, with the strong jaw line, the flash of white teeth that characterized a smile, and the soft, brown eyes.

"Mother, I would like you to meet my roommate and girlfriend Galinda Upland of the Upper Uplands," Elphaba said. "Galinda, meet my mother."

"How are you here?" Galinda asked bluntly, unable to control what was coming out of her mouth. "Elphaba said that you were…"

Melena nodded. "Yes, dead," she finished for Galinda. "But Elphaba is a very special girl with a very special power. As you may know, she possesses within herself a power, the power of magic, and this magic is stronger than anything else that has ever before been seen in Oz since Kumbricia herself. The power of the Kumbric Witch has been passed down to her."

"But, don't you have to be related to Kumbricia…?" Galinda started.

"No," Melena said, shaking her head. "The power of the Kumbric Witch can manifest itself in anyone, although it usually manifests itself in young women, particularly those who have been singled out to accomplish a great task in the future. It is a great responsibility, and one that should not be taken lightly. But as the holder of the power of the Kumbric Witch, that person has the power to bring back the spirits of the dead for a short period of time."

"So, if someone died, she could bring them back?" Galinda asked.

"It isn't very simple," Melena said. "She has to have a very strong emotional connection to them. For example, if an urchin she didn't know in the Emerald City died, then she wouldn't be able to bring them back. But she can bring me back because she has an emotional connection to me."

Galinda bit her lip as she thought. "So… if _I_ died," she whispered, "she would be able to bring me back."

Melena shifted uncomfortably. "I suppose so, if her emotional connection with you is that strong. But that won't be happening any time soon, of course. You're young and healthy."

"Actually, mother, um…" Elphaba trailed off.

"Don't tell me that she's already dead," Melena said, surprised. "You know I've told you that it's dangerous for you to bring back two spirits at the same time, or even in a short period of time."

"No, no, no," Elphaba said quickly as Galinda's eyes widened. "She's not dead, but… you see, she has this disease where her blood can't clot."

"Hemophilia," Galinda supplied quietly.

"Yes," Elphaba said softly, looking up at her mother. "And it's worse in her than doctors have ever seen it before. They've given her… about a month to live."

"Isn't there something the doctors can do?" Melena asked, concerned. "Some sort of medical procedure that helps your blood clot?"

"Yeah, there are infusions you can get," Galinda said. "But they don't help me any more. About a month ago, I got an infusion in the morning, and later that day I passed out because of internal bleeding. There… there isn't anything anyone can do for me."

Elphaba glared at her. "I told you…"

"Please, not now," Galinda whimpered, and Elphaba's gaze softened as she put a comforting arm around her waist.

"I'm sorry," she whispered.

Melena nodded. "I'll see what I can do," she said, and both Galinda and Elphaba looked at her in surprise.

"Mother, what are you going to be able to do if you're already dead?" Elphaba asked. "I mean, you can't go up to any doctors and ask them if they know a cure, and you can't go up to any sorcerers and ask them if they can heal Galinda, either."

Her mother shook her head. "Elphaba, you're forgetting all of the brilliant people before you," she said. "There are many people who are dead that I can communicate with, and many of them are brilliant. I will go to the sorcerers first, since they might know a spell book or spell that could help you immediately, and if they don't have anything, I'll start asking doctors."

"Thank you," Elphaba said, stepping forward to hug her and holding herself back at the last minute. She looked sad and Galinda looked confused.

"I'm not real substance," Melena explained, bending down and going to pick a blade of grass, which just went straight through her hand. "And mortals, that would be you two, can't touch me without serious consequences. The last time that happened, the mortal died."

She turned to Elphaba and gave her a sad smile. "I love you," she whispered. "And if you need me, just come back here and call me. Come back at least once before you leave so I can tell you what I've found out about a cure. Give me as much time as possible, though, because it takes a long time to track some people down and I might not be able to find them again."

"We'll be leaving in two weeks," Elphaba said. "Could you give us a sign?"

"What do you want?" Melena asked. "Do something simple, like weather or something, and don't make it so you could easily miss it, either."

Elphaba knitted her eyebrows together, thinking, and then smiled, glancing back at Galinda. "Could you have it snow?" she asked. "Just on Colwen Grounds for a short amount of time, not so it will ruin the growing season."

"I can do that," Melena said. "But not for long, so you'll have to be aware of what's going on outside."

"Don't worry," Galinda said, grinning at Elphaba. "We'll be watching for it."

Melena started to drift apart and a tear trailed down Elphaba's cheek as she turned to Galinda. "Now you've met my mother," she said.

"I can't believe you can do that," Galinda said after a moment. "I mean, later, it's just going to hit me really hard that I met your mother when she's dead, but now… I'm happy for you, Elphie. You can see your mother even though she's dead."

Elphaba sighed, closing her eyes. "It's very exhausting, though," she said as some of her energy drained her. "I can't do it for very long periods of time, or very close together because I'll pass out. That's happened to me before, and no one had any idea what had happened to me. I managed to spit out some stupid story that they believed, but they're all careful around me now, my grandfather and the servants, that is."

Her eyes snapped open and she looked at Galinda desperately. "That reminds me, you have to promise not to tell anyone what you just saw," she said. "If they even suspected, they'd probably lock both of us up in mental institutions, and if they thought that it _really_ happened, then I'd be forced to bring back the dead for money."

"Okay, I promise," Galinda said quickly. "Although I doubt that anyone would believe me, anyways."

"Just as long as you promise," Elphaba said. "Now why don't we go back to the mansion so we can have breakfast and I can give you a proper tour of the grounds."

"How are we getting back?" Galinda asked. "We rode here, and your grandfather and brother took the horses."

"Not mine," Elphaba said, walking over to her mare and untying the reins from the tree. "Have you ever ridden before?"

"Yeah, just now with Shell," Galinda said, looking fearfully at the impatient horse. "Are you sure that thing won't throw me off? It looks like one of those wild horses men ride around in arenas to show off."

"No, she's just excited," Elphaba said, patting the mare on the nose affectionately. "Come on, I promise she won't throw you off, you can sit right behind me and hold on to me. It'll be faster this way, or it'll take all day to walk back to the mansion and we won't be able to eat until sundown."

Galinda looked at the horse fearfully and gradually walked forward. Elphaba swung herself up in the saddle, which pulled her dress up to reveal green legs. She reached down and helped Galinda up, who hesitated at revealing her legs. "Oh, come on, Galinda," Elphaba said. "It's not like anyone is really going to see. Fine, fine, ride sidesaddle, but hold on tight. Riding sidesaddle makes it easier to fall off."

She touched her heels to the horse's sides and it sprung into a gallop, making Galinda scream. Elphaba winced as Galinda's high voice pierced her ear. "Try not to tell all of Munchkinland that you're here, okay," she yelled over her shoulder, which only made Galinda hold onto her waist more tightly.

They finally stopped and Elphaba slid off the horse, taking Galinda around the waist and lifting her off. "See, that wasn't so bad, was it?" she asked. Galinda only stumbled into her, making her laugh. "Come on, let's go eat."

A stable hand ran forward, taking the mare by the reigns and leading her off as Elphaba put her arms around Galinda and led her back to the mansion. "Never do that again," Galinda muttered.

"Oh, I was planning on taking you horseback riding tomorrow," Elphaba said, thoroughly disappointed. "We were going to go up to the lake and have a picnic for lunch."

"Fine," Galinda said. "But we aren't riding that horse again, and we are _definitely_ not going that fast. I can only imagine what my hair looks like after that."

Elphaba just laughed.

_**Hope you liked it! Okay, here's the thing. I'm going to be out of town Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and part of Monday, so what I'm going to try to do is post a chapter everyday. Now I'm not guaranteeing or promising anything, but I'm going to try because I won't be able to update while I'm out of town. Please, please, PLEASE review, I really appreciate all thoughts and comments, honestly. Thank you to everyone who is sticking with me, especially my reviewers. I want to name you all, but there are so many and… well, I need to get on to writing the next chapter for you guys. Thanks again!**_

_**ReallyObsessiveWriter**_


	24. Chapter 24

_**Here's the next chapter. I'm sorry that it's so short, but the next chapter is on the way, hopefully tonight. Enjoy!**_

Galinda and Elphaba sat down in the formal dining room with Shell and the Eminent Thropp. A few minutes later, a side door opened and servants streamed out, carrying platters, serving bowls, and dishes. Almost as soon as they had come, they were gone.

"So, Elphaba, what do you have planned for Galinda today?" the Eminent Thropp asked, waving away a servant as he served himself food.

"Well, I was going to take her on a tour of the grounds after we've finished eating," Elphaba said, serving herself some fruit salad. "I have a lunch scheduled with the ambassadors, and she can accompany me to that. Afterwards, I was going to stop by your office, and then we have the rest of the day to ourselves."

"I can clear your schedule, if you would like," her grandfather said. "The ambassadors can wait, although _do_ need to speak to you about your schedule for the next two weeks."

Elphaba shook her head. "The sooner I deal with the ambassadors, the better. They tend to get upset when I don't meet with them, although I assume Karim will explain the situation to them if he hasn't already."

The Eminent Thropp nodded. "Shell, how are your lessons going? Is Frederic a good tutor?"

Shell shrugged. "I guess," he said. "He's only been here for two weeks, so I don't really know. I like him, though. He's nice."

"You have a new tutor?" Elphaba asked. "Why is Frita gone?"

"Who's Frita?" Galinda asked.

"She was my old tutor," Elphaba said. "I personally didn't like her, but she was a good teacher."

"Why would you need a tutor?" Galinda asked.

"We never went to school, so my grandfather, the Eminent Thropp," she nodded in his direction," hired a private tutor for me to catch me up. I was ahead in some areas, but lacking in others. Shell elected to have a private tutor instead of going to school."

"Frita retired," the Eminent Thropp said. "She was having back troubles and decided that she would take my offer to just live in the servants' quarters."

"Doesn't she have family in the Emerald City?"

He nodded. "Yes, she visits them for three months out of the year, and I pay for the whole trip. She was a good tutor, and I reward good workers."

The continued eating with the Eminent Thropp frequently asking them questions about how their classes were progressing, about their friends, and Galinda about her home life.

The servants cleared the table and the Eminent Thropp said one last thing before they left. "One moment," he said as Elphaba and Galinda stood up. "Galinda, I don't want you walking around without someone going with you. This is a big estate and I don't want you getting lost or something happening to you."

"Grandfather, I plan on staying with her the whole time," Elphaba said.

"I just want to make sure," he said seriously. "Colwen Grounds can be a dangerous place."

"Of course," Galinda said.

Shell stood up. "Can I go with you, too?" he asked. "I promise that I'll try not to be annoying."

Elphaba glanced over at Galinda, who nodded. "Yeah, come on Shell," she said. "You can help me give Galinda a tour of the grounds."

"Thank you!" he yelled, hugging her. "This is going to be awesome! Can we show her the lake?"

"Sure," Elphaba said, with a small smile. "Lead the way, Shell."

He ran out of the room, waiting just outside the door impatiently. Elphaba and Galinda laced their fingers together and followed him out of the mansion and onto the grounds, sneaking each other loving glances when Shell wasn't looking.

"Here's the lake!" he shouted excitedly, and they turned the corner around a copse of trees to see the sun rising over an expanse of glittering, silver water. Galinda gasped in surprise and a small smile graced Elphaba's lips as she watched her girlfriend's reaction to the stunning scene.

"It's beautiful," Galinda whispered, looking up at Elphaba. Shell had wisely disappeared and they shared a passionate, but gentle kiss, holding tightly to each other afterwards.

_**So, I hope you liked it. The next chapter is on its way up so you don't have to wait too long. I'm just going to try to get as many updates as possible before I leave Friday. So, please, please, PLEASE review! I really appreciate all thoughts, comments, and suggestions. Thank you to all of my readers and reviewers!**_

_**ReallyObsessiveWriter**_

2


	25. Chapter 25

_**Well, here's the next chapter as I promised. Enjoy!**_

"I told you, the ambassadors won't mind at all," Elphaba said, trying to convince Galinda to come with her for lunch instead of going up to their room. They had completed their tour of the grounds, which included the well-manicured lawn, the rose garden, the orchard, and a complete walk around the lake. Elphaba had also taken Galinda to the stables to visit the horses and see the foals that had been born only the week before. "They'll probably want to meet you, anyways."

"Elphie, I really shouldn't intrude," Galinda said, clearly uncomfortable with the idea of introducing herself to a crowd of people as Elphaba's girlfriend. "I mean, they didn't invite me, did they? They probably just want to talk to you."

"Galinda, Karim has probably already told them that you're going to accompany me," Elphaba said, pulling her close and looking down into her eyes. "They'll be expecting you, and if you don't come, they'll be disappointed."

"Well, I don't mind disappointing them," Galinda snapped, pulling away and surprising Elphaba.

"What is this really about?" Elphaba whispered.

"It's just… what if they don't like me?" Galinda asked, looking down at her feet. "I mean, I know a lot of people think I'm beautiful and stuff, but what if they don't think I'm smart enough for you, or what if they just don't like me?"

Elphaba laughed. "What's not to like?" she asked, pulling Galinda close. "You _are_ beautiful, and you _are_ smart, and you have the most amazing personality… I don't see how anyone could not like you. Just be yourself and everything will be fine."

Galinda still hesitated. "What if… what if Karim told them about my disease?" she whispered, looking up at Elphaba. "And what if they don't think I'm good enough for you because I have it and I'm going to… to die."

"Karim doesn't even know that you have hemophilia," Elphaba said quietly.

"But he could!" Galinda protested. "You said that the servants know everything, and we're going to have to tell them, anyways, so they'll know when I… when I die!"

"I think you're getting too worked up over this," Elphaba said quickly, trying to calm her down before she got out of control. "Everything is going to be fine, and if you really want to, I'll take you up to your room and I'll have one of the servants bring some food up for you. It was wrong for me to assume that you wanted to go to lunch with me and I shouldn't have tried to force you like that."

"No, its okay, Elphie," Galinda said quietly. "I'm being stupid. It's just… I'm really tired and kind of overwhelmed by everything that's happened recently and I need some time for myself. You can go ahead to your lunch with the ambassadors and meet with your grandfather, and we can spend time together afterwards. Is that okay?"

"Yeah, it's fine," Elphaba said. "Just… don't wander around without anyone with you, I don't want you to get lost or hurt. My grandfather wasn't joking around when he said Colwen Grounds can be a dangerous place. Not all of the people living around here are honest, and if they saw you… just promise me you won't leave your room."

The blonde nodded. "Of course," she said.

Elphaba took Galinda's hand and walked her up to her room, telling a servant on the way to bring lunch up for Galinda. When they arrived at Galinda's door, Elphaba kissed her gently and waited for her to go in and close the door behind her before turning around and making her way down to the formal dining room.

All of the ambassadors were already assembled when she arrived and they all stood when she walked in the door. She impatiently motioned for them to sit and nodded her thanks to the servant who pulled her chair out for, the chair at the head of the table that was usually reserved for her grandfather. Everyone was politely quiet as the servants set the meal out on the table and left before they started the meeting.

"Welcome back, Your Eminence," the woman on her left said. "We trust that you had a pleasant journey home?"

"Yes, thank you Daphne," Elphaba said, nodding her head at the woman. "How have things been running since I was here last? I trust that everything has gone smoothly?"

Daphne nodded. "Yes, although your absence is causing a strain on the Munchkinlanders," she said. "They want more public appearances, so we would like to get as many in as possible in these two weeks you are visiting. The short time period doesn't really help much, though. Perhaps if you stayed longer…"

"No," Elphaba said sharply, surprising everyone at the table with the tone of her voice. "I will be staying for two weeks, and for two weeks only. As you may or may not know, I have brought Galinda Upland of the Upper Uplands with me and I am going to be visiting her family in Gillikin with her. I will be leaving with her no matter what."

"I apologize," Daphne said, scribbling a note down on a pad that she procured out of nowhere. "The ambassador from…"

"Arrange any meetings that any ambassador from any country wants to have with me," Elphaba said hurriedly. She was feeling very uneasy about leaving Galinda by herself and desperately wanted to get this meeting and her meeting with her grandfather over with so she could go see her. "Just make sure Galinda will be able to attend all meetings with me, I don't like leaving her alone. Is that it?"

"Public appearances," a man down the table said.

"I'll make a few public appearances, but no more than five, and no overnight stays," Elphaba said. "Is there anything else?"

The ambassadors shook their heads, seeing that Elphaba was impatient to leave. She nodded and stood up, not touching the food on her plate, and practically ran out the door towards her grandfather's office.

"Your Eminence," she said, bowing to him as she entered his office.

"I see that you're in a bit of a hurry," he said, chuckling. "I'll make this quick. There is one event that I wished to talk to about and that is the Annual Winter Ball. As Heir-Apparent, you are required to attend, and if you publicly announce Galinda to be your girlfriend, she is also required to attend. The ball will be held in four days time, there is a selection of dresses set out for you to choose from and I'm sure that if Galinda wants to go, we can get something for her, as well. Any questions?"

She shook her head. "Is that it?" she asked. "I'm sorry for being so rude, but I really don't like leaving Galinda alone and I have this feeling that something's happened to her. I told her not to leave her room, but… I don't know. I'll feel better when I'm with her again."

"You may go," he said, waving his hand, and she bolted out of her seat and towards the door, sprinting up the stairs and towards Galinda's room. Servants stared at her as she rushed passed, murmuring apologies to those she pushed out of her way.

Arriving at the door, she opened it quickly, walking in. "Galinda, are you…?"

What she saw made her words catch in her throat. Galinda was lying on the floor, a jagged gash on her leg bleeding profusely. A puddle of blood surrounded her, and Elphaba knew that if she didn't act immediately, Galinda would die.

_**Hope you liked it. Sorry to leave you with a cliffhanger, but I really need to get stuff done and I thought that was a good point to end at. I'll try to post a few chapters tomorrow, but I don't know if I'll be able to. If I don't update tomorrow, then the next update will be Tuesday at the soonest. Please review! I really appreciate all thoughts, comments, and suggestions. Thanks to all of my readers and reviewers!**_

_**ReallyObsessiveWriter**_

3


	26. Chapter 26

_**Here's the chapter as I promised. Enjoy!**_

Elphaba stood in the doorway for a moment, looking at the picture before her. Galinda had collapsed on the floor and her body was surrounded by a puddle of blood, which was flowing freely from a large cut on her leg. Her face was pale, her mouth slightly open, and her body limp. It was then that Elphaba moved into action.

Darting to the dresser, she pulled out one of Galinda's shirts, and, knowing that the blonde would be furious at her later, tore it into strips, proceeding to wrap it around the wound on Galinda's leg. Taking her wrist in her hand, she checked her pulse, sighing in relief when she felt a steady, if not faint, throb. She pulled the rope that would call a servant to the room and impatiently waited for him to arrive.

The servant who had been assigned to Galinda's room was a childhood friend of Elphaba's, a boy who had played with her even though she was green. Of course, it was more of an obligated relationship because the Eminent Thropp had employed his mother right after his father had died from a rare, but deadly disease, but even so, he had been there with her for most of her life. She had specifically requested that he be the one who was assigned to Galinda's room, instead of one of the snobby maids who would pretend to be nice and then talk about her behind her back.

"Miss Elphaba, what are you doing here?" Chris asked as he appeared in the doorway. "Sweet Lurline, what happened? I'll go get a doctor immediately."

He rushed out of the room before Elphaba could get a single word out of her mouth. That was another thing she liked about Chris, he knew what to do before someone told him to do it. The Eminent Thropp had offered him a job as his personal secretary, but Chris had respectfully turned it down, telling him that his place was with his mother and if the job were still open after she had passed, he would consider it.

Almost no time had passed when Chris came back with a doctor on his heels. The doctor took one look at Galinda before looking questioningly at Elphaba. "Get her on the bed and hold her down," he said. "I'm going to try and sew that wound shut, and if she wakes up, I don't want her hurting herself even more."

Chris attempted to help Elphaba, but she shook her head and gently lifted Galinda off the floor, setting her on the bed and smoothing her hair back out of her face. The doctor instructed her in how to hold her down and Chris assisted; although Elphaba insisted on remaining as close to Galinda's head as possible so that if she woke up, she would be able to explain everything to her.

The doctor pulled a needle out and took the makeshift bandages off Galinda's leg, starting the process. Elphaba wasn't the queasiest person in the world, but she looked away as the doctor began to pull the needle through Galinda's skin. Galinda began to stir and Elphaba quickly placed herself in front of the doctor so the blonde wouldn't see what he was doing.

"Elphie, my leg hurts," she whimpered, and Elphaba squeezed her hand tightly. "It really hurts, make it stop, Elphie. Make it stop."

"I'm sorry, but this is going to make you better," Elphaba said, squeezing Galinda's hand a little harder. "Just stay with me, my sweet, hold out. It's going to be okay, I'm right here with you."

"It really hurts," Galinda sobbed, starting to struggle against Elphaba's grip.

"Please keep her still," the doctor said in a tight voice.

"What's he doing?" Galinda asked, her eyes wide with panic.

"Galinda, do you trust me?" Elphaba asked.

"What's he doing?" Galinda screamed, tears running down her face.

"Do you trust me?" Elphaba asked, looking into Galinda's eyes.

The blonde hesitated and nodded.

"Then trust me on this," Elphaba said. "I love you with all of my heart, and I would only do what was best for you. This is going to help you, and it might hurt now, but it's for the better."

Galinda nodded. "Okay," she whispered, tears still leaking out of the corners of her eyes. "I trust you."

_**I'm sorry I didn't update before and left you with that cliffhanger. As you may or may not know, I was out of town for the weekend without any access to a computer with internet. I'm sorry that this is such a short chapter, but I thought you would prefer a short chapter to no chapter at all. I will try my hardest to update tomorrow, but I can't guarantee anything. Thank you to all of my readers and reviewers, I really appreciate all thoughts, comments, and suggestions, so PLEASE REVIEW or continue to review. Thank you again.**_

_**ReallyObsessiveWriter**_

2


	27. Chapter 27

_**Here's the next chapter. Enjoy!**_

After the doctor finished with the stitches, he tightly wrapped Galinda's leg, giving her instructions not to stand on it for at least a day. Galinda had passed out from the pain, so Elphaba just nodded and gently stroked her hair. When the doctor had left, she gently shook Galinda, who gradually came to, blinking rapidly.

"Hey, how are you feeling?" Elphaba whispered.

"I'm fine, why?" Galinda asked, sitting up quickly only to fall back on her pillows. Elphaba looked at her worriedly, but didn't know what to do. "What happened to me?" Galinda asked.

"Well, I dropped you off here and went to my meeting with the ambassadors and with my grandfather, and when I came back, you had a gash on your leg and you had passed out on the floor," Elphaba said. "You were surrounded by blood, so I called for a servant, who went to get a doctor, and he stitched your leg up."

Galinda looked away from Elphaba. "I shouldn't have come," she whispered. "I'm just being a burden with everything you've had to do with the arrangements, and your family, and now this. If you want, I'll write to my parents and go home for the rest of winter break."

"No!" Elphaba exclaimed. "Galinda look at me. You are _not_ a burden. I love you and I would do anything for you. We both have our own needs due to our diseases and you just require a little more care right now. Remember when I got that bucket of water splashed all over my front? You didn't hesitate to help me, and I will never hesitate to help you."

"That's different," Galinda said. "I just…"

"Look, Galinda, you need to stop this," Elphaba said firmly, cutting her off. "I understand how you feel, I've felt like that before, too, but you need to understand that I love you and that I'm not going to leave you."

"No, I don't think you do understand!" Galinda said angrily, tears sliding down her face as she struggled to sit up. "You don't understand what it's like to only have a certain amount of time left to live! Sure, you have your disease, but you can still live with it without too much deviation from a normal life. And don't give me that crap about your skin color and how people make fun of you because of you. I have people who won't be my friends because I'm going to _die_."

"I think I know that, Galinda!" Elphaba yelled, standing up and backing away. "Do you really want to be with me? Because it certainly seems like you don't."

"You know what, I don't know," Galinda said, narrowing her eyes.

Tears stung at Elphaba's eyes and she struggled to hold them back. "Fine," she whispered as a tear escaped and trailed down her cheek, burning her skin. "You know what, how about we think about this before we take this any farther, because the next step was announcing us officially as a couple in front of Munchkinland. Apparently you weren't ready for that."

"Elphaba, please don't cry…" Galinda whispered.

"No, I'm fine," Elphaba said, shaking her head and backing away. "Just… we obviously need to spend some time apart. If you pull that rope by the bed, it'll call a servant for you. And don't stand on your leg for at least a day, doctor's orders."

She fled from the room, leaving Galinda staring after her but unable to run after because of her leg. Galinda broke down, sobbing.

Elphaba strode out of the room and out of the mansion, heading towards the stables and going into her horse's stall. She mounted the mare without a saddle or bridle and rode out of the stables, leaving some alarmed stable hands staring after her and running towards the mansion for the Eminent Thropp.

She knew that her grandfather would most likely come after her, but at the moment, she didn't care. Anger, sorrow, and rejection filled her, and that was what was fueling her actions. All rational thought had left her and pure, raw emotions had taken over, something that usually didn't end well.

Coming to a large lake, she tapped her heels against the horse's sides and slowed to a canter, then a trot, a walk, and finally a full stop. She dismounted and let the horse loose to graze, knowing that she wouldn't run away. Going over to the lake, she set down at the edge and stared into the water.

A green girl with red streaks running down her face, bloodshot brown eyes, and unkempt black hair stared back at her. In her eyes, a perfect example of ugliness. Galinda had told her she was beautiful once, but she had always assumed that she had been joking. Besides, Galinda didn't even know if she wanted to be with her anymore. Nothing she said in the past mattered.

Everything Elphaba had put into her relationship with Galinda had been wasted. Deep down inside, she had known that Galinda's so-called love for her was simply an infatuation with her skin and her disease, or an attempt to find love in the only person who accepted her for who she was, with or without her hemophilia. She had known that Galinda would eventually leave her, but she had pushed those thoughts away, convinced that she had found the love of her life.

Of course, she would never stop loving Galinda. She would keep her promise and always be by her side… maybe only as a friend, but she would still be there. Once she found the cure for Galinda's hemophilia, she would heal her and everything would be fine with her. Maybe then, Galinda wouldn't want her around anymore and Elphaba could leave and try to forget about her, maybe find someone else… or become the Eminent Thropp and occupy her life that way.

After this was over, Elphaba would go to Quadling Country and apologize to her father, telling him that she had been swayed by the temptation of the devil and had repented. This was a complete lie, of course, but she would have something close to her old life back. She would go to Nessa and apologize, devote the next couple of years to her happiness, and perhaps she would be forgiven. And at Shiz… maybe she would once again be known as the mysterious green girl instead of Galinda's green girlfriend.

Shell would be confused by Elphaba and Galinda's fleeting relationship, but he would soon forget. The Eminent Thropp would disapprove of the way Elphaba had broken it off with Galinda, or Galinda had broken it off with Elphaba, but he wouldn't raise any protests. He would be reluctant to let Frexspar and Nessarose back onto Colwen Grounds, but he would do it, if only for Elphaba's sake.

Rumors would spread over the countryside and cities of Munchkinland about Elphaba's relationship with Galinda, but it would all die down in a few months, and if anything was said in the future, it would be something people would comment on when there wasn't any new gossip to discuss. No, no one would object to the broken relationship of Elphaba and Galinda. Galinda would find some boy who was desperately in love with her and would take care of her and everything would fall into place for the beautiful blonde from there. Galinda would be okay and Elphaba… Elphaba would do what she always did. She would get by in the shadows, cloaked in mystery, nose stuck in a book.

There would be pain, of course, because Elphaba really did love Galinda, but she suspected that would dull with time. And there was other pain that could mask the emotional pain. Physical pain would do the trick, and she would forget about the emptiness in her heart.

Leaning in towards the lake, Elphaba slowly dipped her hand in, hissing in pain as the burning sensation registered in her brain. But she didn't pull her hand out, but rather, sunk her arm in the lake up to her elbow. The emotional pain began to dull and she could feel the darkness pushing on her consciousness, telling her to submit…

"Elphaba Thropp, what do you think you are doing?"

Pulling her arm out of the lake, Elphaba turned to see her grandfather dismounting from his horse and running towards her, a look of fear and concern on his face. The first thing Elphaba thought was that something further had happened to Galinda and she was dying from blood loss.

"What do you think you're doing?" her grandfather asked, kneeling down next to her and pulling her away from the lake. "Do you want to kill yourself or lose your arm? Because if you do, that's a good way to do it. I have no idea what's gotten into you, but you need to snap out of it right now, and you need to quit running away."

"Is Galinda okay?" Elphaba whispered.

"Yes, why wouldn't she be?" he asked, looking at her suspiciously.

"Why are you here if she's okay?" she asked.

"Because one of the stable hands came running into my office, yelling that you had taken your horse and ridden away bareback and without a bridle," he said. "The whole mansion is in disarray because everyone thinks you've gone mad. You're lucky Miss Galinda doesn't know, yet, or she would probably be out her with me yelling at you."

"No she wouldn't," Elphaba muttered, looking down at her injured arm. "She doesn't think that we should be together anymore."

"Well, we'll discuss that after we get your arm looked at and taken care of by a doctor," he said, helping her stand. "Can you ride on your own or do you need to ride with me?"

"I can ride on my own," Elphaba said, stumbling towards her horse and leaning on it before mounting. Her grandfather looked doubtfully at her, but mounted his own horse and urged both of their horses on with a long, low whistle. They sprang into a canter, and then into a gallop towards the mansion.

A stable hand helped Elphaba dismount as she cradled her arm to her chest, her eyes tearing up when her feet hit the ground and jolted her arm. Her grandfather dismounted and gave his horse to another stable hand, calling for a doctor. He helped Elphaba inside and sat her down in the nearest chair he could find until the doctor came, who sighed when he saw her.

"First your friend and now you," he said, kneeling down in front of her. "I'm going to have to cut off the sleeve of your shirt in order to keep from hurting you further. Hold still, now, so the knife doesn't slip. That's a girl."

The Eminent Thropp grimaced when he saw the full extent of the injury to Elphaba's arm, but he slung one of his own arms around her shoulders to help comfort her. Elphaba stared down at her arm, not believing how much damage had been caused just by the lake. Layers of her skin had been sloughed away to reveal a disgusting, bleeding layer of muscle underneath. She wasn't one to be queasy, but she looked away so she wouldn't pass out.

"I'm just going to put this salve on your arm and wrap it up in bandages," the doctor said. "Now, I know you don't like your movements to be restricted, so I'm going to trust you not to move your wrist and not give you a sling. If you move it and I hear about it, I _will_ make you wear a sling for your own good, do you understand?"

Elphaba nodded numbly and he frowned, apparently stumped by her lack of a sharp retort. The doctor quickly and gently slathered the salve onto her arm and wrapped it tightly in bandages, standing up. "That should be all," he said. "If it hurts too much, just take some pain killers, two pills every four hours at the most."

He turned to the Eminent Thropp and bowed his head. "Your Eminence," he said, taking his leave.

The Eminent Thropp turned to Elphaba. "Now that we have your arm taken care of, how about we take a walk around the grounds and you tell me about what this is all about," he said. Taking Elphaba's good arm, he stood and they left the mansion, heading towards the rose gardens.

"Now tell me, why are you going around sticking your arm in the lake if you know that you're allergic to water?" he asked once he was sure they were alone and away from the prying ears of the servants.

"I don't know," Elphaba said, shrugging and wincing at the pain in her arm. "It just felt like the right thing to do at the time."

"So nearly injuring your arm to the point where it would have had to be amputated seemed like the right thing to do?" he asked, raising his eyebrows as Elphaba shrugged again. "Look, Fabala, I know something is wrong, and normally I wouldn't impose myself into your business, but when you are purposely injuring yourself because of it, I have no choice but to take matters into my own hands. Should I go ask Galinda?"

"No, I suppose not," Elphaba sighed. "She probably shouldn't find out about this from anyone else but me."

"Then tell me why you're upset," her grandfather said.

"It's just… Galinda and I have been fighting a lot more often since we've come to Colwen Grounds," she said. "This is the second time in one day we've gotten into an argument. And she said… she said she doesn't know if she wants to be with me anymore."

"Do you really believe that she doesn't want to be with you anymore?" he asked.

"Yes," Elphaba said decisively.

He raised his eyebrows.

"Oh, I don't know," Elphaba yelled, looking away. "This is all so confusing. I don't know what to think anymore. Whenever I'm with her… it's like I'm a different person. I love her so much, but she just thinks that she's being a burden and she wants to leave so we don't feel obligated to take care of her or something. I've tried to tell her that she isn't a burden, that I love her, and that's why I'm taking care of her, but she doesn't seem to believe me."

"Your grandmother was just like that," her grandfather said, surprising her. "Of course, she didn't have a deadly disease like Galinda, but she always felt that I was spending too much on her when I took her out on a date, or whenever I invited her over, she wanted to leave quickly so I wouldn't feel obligated to serve dinner or something."

"It's not the same," Elphaba sighed.

He shook his head. "No, it isn't the same," he agreed. "But it's similar. There's nothing you can do but show her that you love her, tell her that you love her, and hope that she loves you back. I know for a fact that you love her, and I have a strong suspicion that she loves you, too. Don't give up, Elphaba; because when you give up, you don't have a chance of keeping her. Do you understand?"

She nodded. "I think so," she said slowly. "But… I don't know if I should go back there right now or wait a little. She was so upset… I don't even know if she wants to see me right now."

"I say take your chances," he said. "Don't try to be overly romantic, though. That will just make the situation worse. Just… try to be sincere and be yourself. If she loves you even only half as much as you love her, she'll understand."

"Thank you, grandfather," Elphaba whispered.

He nodded. "And whenever you feel like you want to stick your arm in the lake again, come to me instead of actually doing it. I'm sure a lot of pain would be prevented if you didn't do that. Now, can I trust you to make your way back to Galinda's room by yourself or do I need to escort you there myself?"

"No, I'm fine," Elphaba said, looking at a rosebush. "I'm just going to pick some roses and bring them back to Galinda. She likes roses, you know. They're her favorite flower."

Smiling, the Eminent Thropp quietly walked away as Elphaba began to pick the roses, struggling to tear them off at the base of the stems with only one hand. She managed to get a dozen of them into a nice-looking bouquet and headed back to the mansion and up to Galinda's room.

Standing just outside of Galinda's closed door, she listened with a broken heart as Galinda talked to herself. "Oh, Elphie, how could you leave me?" Galinda sobbed. "I love you, I promise I love you. I didn't mean it, Elphie, just come back to me. Come back to my love, my life, my Elphie…"

Elphaba quietly opened the door to see that Galinda had fallen asleep, tears staining her face, her eyes rimmed with red from crying, and her hair unkempt. The green girl set the bouquet of roses on the nightstand and quietly left the room, going to her own room to wait until Galinda woke up.

_**Well, that chapter was a little longer than the last one. I hope you liked it. Special thanks to those who reviewed the last chapter:**_

_**Rtarlesteen**_

_**Jamie**_

_**Megyn129**_

_**moodified**_

_**Thank you to the reviewers who have reviewed other chapters, I really appreciate all thoughts, comments, and suggestions. And thank you to my readers, as well. Now REVIEW!!! ;) Thank you again!**_

_**ReallyObsessiveWriter**_

_**(P.S. Really, review. That little green button has a purpose. You click it and you tell me what you think. ;) Thanks!)**_

6


	28. Chapter 28

_**Here's the next chapter. Sorry it took me so long to update. Enjoy!**_

The door opened and Elphaba looked up from her book to see Galinda standing there, supported by a pair of crutches, looking at her hesitantly. The bouquet of flowers was clutched tightly in her right hand and blood was beginning to trickle down her wrist because of the thorns.

"What in Oz do you thing you're doing!" Elphaba yelled, shooting up out of her chair and rushing to Galinda's side. "Do you want to kill yourself?"

She rushed around the room, gathering bandages and tightly wrapping Galinda's hand so it would stop bleeding. The blonde looked on without saying a word, watching Elphaba fret. Elphaba finally finished and looked up at Galinda. "What do you think you were doing?"

"Did you give those roses to me?" she asked quietly.

"Yes, now answer my question," Elphaba said.

"I just wanted to see you," Galinda whispered, quieting Elphaba. "Do you want to know why roses are my favorite flower?" Elphaba was silent, but Galinda continued on obliviously. "It's because they symbolize love. I've always wanted to experience true love. Whenever someone asked me what I wanted most in the world, that's what I said. Not for my disease to go completely away, not to be able to live a long life, not to find a cure for hemophilia, but for love."

Looking down at the bouquet of roses, she picked a red one out, holding it out in front of Elphaba. "There's that saying," she whispered. "Love is a beautiful thing, just like a rose. But it can also hurt, like a rose's thorns. The rose is lovely, and sometimes, we go and pick them without paying much attention, and the thorns prick us. We also go stumbling blindly after love, and in the process, we get hurt. Some people get hurt by thorns more than others, and some people get hurt by love more than others."

Elphaba took the rose from Galinda's hand. "But sometimes pain is necessary," she whispered. "Sometimes, in order to confront reality, we need to be hurt by something we long for the most, something we need the most. Water is a necessity, yet it drowns, it kills, and in some case, in one case, it burns. Love is necessary, but people become drowned in it, they are killed by it, and in many cases, are burned and hurt by it."

"Love can be mistaken for Hate," Galinda said, so quietly that Elphaba almost didn't hear her. "And Hate can be mistaken for Love. Both are deadly emotions, and many say Hate is the deadlier of the two. But I… I disagree. Love kills more often than Hate, because Hate is born out of Love."

"Do you think that maybe… maybe you don't love me after all?" Elphaba asked quietly, tears in her eyes.

"No," Galinda said. "No, of course not."

"You don't have to lie to me," Elphaba said, setting the rose in Galinda's lap and standing as she turned away. "I should have known that this was going to happen eventually. There's no chance that you would keep loving me. Really, look at me. I'm just an ugly, bony green girl who happened to catch your attention."

Galinda opened her mouth to speak, but Elphaba continued on. "But… but I want you to know that I'll never stop loving you, no matter what you do, no matter what you say, no matter who you're with. If you choose never to speak to me again…"

"Elphaba Thropp, you listen to me right now," Galinda said, making Elphaba turn around in surprise. "I don't want you to say another word until I've had my say. Really, I don't like it when you make assumptions without even getting all of the information. What makes you think that I don't love you anymore?"

"You said…"

"What I said was said in anger," Galinda said, interrupting Elphaba again. "Elphie, do you really think that I would come here with you to your home and then suddenly tell you that I don't love you anymore?"

"It could be possible," Elphaba muttered. "After all, look at me."

"Don't you dare use your green skin as an excuse!" Galinda yelled. "You are the most beautiful, breath-taking, stunning people I have ever met."

"Breath-taking and stunning I can see," Elphaba whispered. "But you don't have to lie to me about being beautiful. I'm really not, people have told me before about how I look. An awkward, bony reclusive, that's all I am, really."

"That's what _other_ people see you as," Galinda whispered, tears in her eyes. "Please, Elphie, just listen to me. Listen to me without putting your own opinion into the picture and try to see what I am saying. You are not what others think you were, what others have told you that you are. Yes, you are different, and Oz-shattering, and a surprise. And at first, one might even say that you're an awkward, bony reclusive, but once one gets to know you, you're much more than that."

Elphaba was looking at her with a blank face, her head tilted to the side as she studied Galinda.

"You're smart, far more intelligent than any of the professors at Shiz," Galinda continued quickly. "And although you sometimes have an annoying habit of standing up for causes that are obviously lost, you care about what you do, and you don't give up on something even though it may be out of your reach. I love you for all of these things, and more, Elphaba, and I don't want to lose you."

Elphaba rushed forward and swept Galinda up in a hug, lifting her up off the chair and twirling her around, careful not to hit her injured leg on anything. She set her down on the bed, wincing when she brushed up against her injured arm, but she quickly wiped away the look of pain on her face.

"What's wrong?" Galinda asked worriedly.

"Nothing," Elphaba said quickly, hiding her arm behind her back.

"What happened to your arm?" Galinda asked suspiciously, her eyes narrowing.

"I said nothing," Elphaba said, backing away from Galinda.

"Don't you dare lie to me, Elphaba Thropp," Galinda said. "I saw the bandages on your arm and the look of pain on your face."

Elphaba was quiet for a moment. "Water," she finally mumbled.

"You told me you were careful around water," Galinda said accusingly. "What were you doing that you got wet?"

The green girl hesitated once again and then mumbled an answer, making Galinda lean in to try to hear her and understand her.

"I can't hear a single word you've said," Galinda said.

She looked Galinda in the eyes. "I stuck my arm in the lake," she said. "And I held it there for fifteen minutes."

Galinda stared at her for a moment, and then for a minute, which extended to five, and then ten minutes. A tear formed in the corner of her eye and trickled down her cheek. She reached out and took Elphaba's injured arm gently.

"Did I do this?" she whispered.

Elphaba hesitated and then shook her head. "No," she whispered. "I… I did this. My rational thought left me and I acted on instinct. This is not your fault, it is wholly mine."

"Did I cause you pain?" Galinda asked.

"Yes," Elphaba whispered.

Galinda was silent again. "I'm sorry," she whispered.

"You have nothing to be sorry for," Elphaba said.

They were both quiet, not knowing what to say next, and for once, each thought the other's company awkward.

"We need to work something out," Elphaba finally said. "If we don't, we'll never stop fighting. And we're fighting about the same thing over and over and over again. It makes no sense."

"What are we fighting about?" Galinda asked.

"Your view of who you are, and what you have become," Elphaba said after thinking for a moment. "You insist that you're a burden, and you give the impression that you think you're worthless. That since your days have been numbered, your worth has gone down. And I think… I think you're priceless."

"Where do we go from here?" Galinda asked. "I don't want to go back, and it seems that we can't go forward."

Elphaba hesitated. "I… I want to officially announce you as my partner at the Winter Ball coming up in three days," she said. "We can make this work, if we try. And I want to try. I love you, with all of my heart, soul, mind, and heart."

Galinda kissed her gently on the cheek. "And I love you."

_**Well I hope you liked it. I'll be updating as soon as possible. Thank you to everyone who reviewed the last chapter:**_

_**Rtarelesteen**_

_**denpa wave chick saki**_

_**Jamie**_

_**Servant of Snape**_

_**And thank you to my other reviewers and to my readers. I really appreciate all thoughts, comments, and suggestions I get. Once again, I'll be updating as soon as possible, and thank you again!**_

_**ReallyObsessiveWriter**_

3


	29. Chapter 29

_**Here's the next chapter. Enjoy!**_

Three days went by quickly. Soon, it was the morning of the day the Winter Ball was to take place. Galinda had been excited to try on all the dresses that had been brought from Center Munch for her to try on, but Elphaba had proceeded with her usual complaints, giving everyone a hard time and driving them up the wall. She had finally found a dress, which she refused to let Galinda see, and helped the blonde pick out a dress for herself.

The dress-fitters were thrilled with Galinda, who gave them no complaints as they measured her for adjustments on the dress she had chosen and actually talked with them. They jokingly teased Elphaba about taking a leaf out of Galinda's book, and the green girl just smiled and shook her head, walking over to her girlfriend when the fitting was finished and kissing her gently.

"Elphie, the ball is tonight," Galinda said, bouncing up and down excitedly as she burst into Elphaba's room. The green girl looked up from her book and smiled, shaking her head. "Aren't you excited?"

"More nervous than excited, I suppose," Elphaba said, closing her book and standing up. She pulled Galinda into a hug, kissing her softly and resting her chin on the top of her head. "This will be the first time that I'll be publicly addressing all of the nobility of Munchkinland. Everyone will be there, and they'll all be assessing me, trying to see if I'm worthy to become Eminent Thropp."

"But you're going to become Eminent Thropp anyways, aren't you?" Galinda asked. "They can't do anything to prevent that from happening, can they?"

Elphaba shook her head. "No, they can't _prevent_ it, but they can make my reign very difficult. They've done it in the past and they won't hesitate to do it in the future if they think that the Eminent Thropp ruling isn't fit to rule."

"What would they do?" Galinda asked.

"They can bring a whole bunch of stupid things to the court, which would hold up all the important things that need to be brought to attention," Elphaba said. "In the past, the leaders have stirred up mobs of people to surround the grounds and keep the Eminent Thropp from going anywhere or really doing anything. And, in the most extreme circumstances, they've hired assassins to kill the Eminent Thropp. But that's only happened twice. The first time because the Eminent Thropp on the throne had killed his sister in order to come to power and the second time because the Eminent Thropp had taken half of the nobles captive, thrown them in his dungeons, and stolen from their mansions."

"So they'll kill you?" Galinda asked, looking up at Elphaba with wide eyes.

"No, they won't kill me," Elphaba said, smiling slightly. "If they really don't think that I'm fit to become Eminent Thropp, then they'll tell me so. In that instance, I'll give up my title to Nessa or Shell, preferably Shell because Nessa is too religious to rule fairly."

"You aren't in any danger, then?" she asked worriedly.

"I'm perfectly safe," Elphaba reassured her, running her fingers through Galinda's hair. "I can't tell you how much I love you."

"Not as much as I love you," Galinda said, leaning her head on Elphaba's chest.

"When we're at the dance, I want you to do me a favor," Elphaba said.

"What's that?" Galinda mumbled.

"Don't leave my side," Elphaba said, pulling away to look Galinda in the eyes. "I don't want anyone stealing you away for a private interview. There are going to be many people there, not all of them are honest, and some of them might not be invited. We're going to do the best we can to make sure nobody gets in that isn't supposed to be there, but there's a chance that we might not catch everyone."

Galinda looked confused. "What type of interview?" she asked.

"Nothing that you need to be worried about," Elphaba said. "They'll just want some inside information on the Heir Apparent, and some about you, as well. These people are very devious and can sneak it out of you. I don't want you to become subject to one of these reporters' newspaper scandals. We both want to stay off the front page. Just stay close to me."

"Will people be trying to get you away, too?" Galinda asked.

"The most they'll want to do with me is talk about politics or get a dance," Elphaba said, shaking her head. "I'll do my best to politely refuse dances and keep the political discussions to a bare minimum, but I can't promise anything. If I am required to dance with someone other than you, Karim will be there to make sure no one tries to take advantage of my not being there."

"This will be… safe, right?"

"There will be no one there who will try to take advantage of you in an inappropriate way," Elphaba said. "If that's what you're worried about, then you don't need to be concerned. My grandfather is taking extreme precautions to make sure that nothing… improper takes place."

"Who all will be there?" Galinda asked.

"You're just full of questions, aren't you?" Elphaba asked, laughing. "No one that you or I really know. Mostly ministers, mayors, and others in political positions along with their husbands or wives. Many of them won't really be interested in talking to you, no offense. They just want to get a good look at me and get onto my good side if they can."

"And how do they get onto your good side?" Galinda giggled, kissing her gently.

"They acknowledge you and don't drone on about boring politics," Elphaba whispered, kissing Galinda. Elphaba moaned when Galinda buried her hands in her hair and pulled her closer.

There was a knock on the door and the sound of someone clearing their throat and Elphaba and Glinda jumped apart, both of them blushing. Chris was standing at the door, clearly surprised by what he had seen. His mouth was hanging open and he looked flustered.

"Yes, Chris?" she asked.

"The Eminent Thropp said that breakfast is going to be informal today," he said. "The same goes with lunch. He said that there is going to be enough formality with the ball tonight that he's going to give you a break. I've been instructed to ask you if you would like me to bring breakfast up for you."

"Galinda, do you want to eat now or later?" Elphaba asked, turning to her girlfriend.

"Um, I'm kind of hungry," Galinda whispered.

"That means you're really hungry," Elphaba said. "Chris, what's being made for breakfast? And don't you dare tell me anything I want."

"I wouldn't dream of it," Chris said with a grin. "I think they were making pancakes, would you like me to bring some up for you or would you prefer something else?"

"Do you want something else?" Elphaba asked Galinda.

"Pancakes are fine," Galinda said.

"Then I'll be right back with your breakfast," he said, bowing his way out of the room and heading down the hall.

"Well that was embarrassing," Galinda said after he had left.

"Me kissing you was embarrassing?" Elphaba asked, a hurt look on her face.

"No, it's just…" Galinda started, but Elphaba turned away, crossing her arms over her chest. "Elphie, please, I'm sorry."

Elphaba didn't say anything.

"Please talk to me," Galinda said.

The green girl's shoulders started shaking.

"Don't say you're crying, please," Galinda said.

She took Elphaba by the arm and turned her around to see that she was trying to keep herself from laughing. Galinda playfully hit her on the arm. "Elphie, you had me scared for a moment!" she yelled. "It's not funny, stop laughing!"

"You thought I was serious?" Elphaba asked, tears streaming down her face. The water was burning her skin, but she couldn't stop crying because she was laughing so hard. "It is too funny!"

"No it isn't, I thought you were really upset," Galinda said. "I… I was scared because I thought you were going to run off and hurt yourself like you did the last time I hurt you. Have… have you always done that? Physically hurt yourself when someone hurt you emotionally?"

Elphaba took Galinda's hands in her own. "Look, can we talk about this later?" she asked. "I want… I want today to be a good day. You're going to have fun, and I don't want to ruin it with talking about… about stuff like that. I promise that we'll talk about it later, I just don't want to ruin anything right now, and I really don't want to dredge anything up."

"You promise?" Galinda whispered.

"Yes," Elphaba said, kissing her lightly.

But she would never bring it up again, if she could help it.

_**Hope you liked it! Sorry that it took so long. Life took over and then my muse ran away. Thanks to everyone who reviewed the last chapter:**_

_**Jamie**_

_**Megyn129**_

_**Rtarlesteen**_

_**moodified**_

_**Paige Halliwell**_

_**Thank you to all of my other reviewers and to my readers. I really appreciate all comments and suggestions, so please REVIEW!!! Thanks again!**_

_**ReallyObsessiveWriter**_

3


	30. Chapter 30

_**Wow, Chapter 30 already. Well, here it is. Enjoy!**_

Elphaba looked in the mirror above her dresser and gaped at her reflection. Never had she imagined that anyone could make her look like this. Her grandfather had hired professionals to come in and do Elphaba and Galinda's makeup and hair and they had done an amazing job, even in Elphaba's eyes.

Her hair had been pulled up in an elegant knot at the back of her head and they had applied small amounts of makeup to her eyes and had her wear lip-gloss. At first, she had been reluctant with the makeup, but after much argument from her grandfather, she had relented, and when she had first seen her reflection, she admitted that she liked it. Afterwards she said that she would only wear makeup on special occasions.

Galinda had refused to let Elphaba see her, saying from the other side of the door that she wanted her to be surprised. Elphaba had protested, but had finally been beat down and sent up to her room to change into her dress. She had chosen, or rather, Galinda had chosen for her, a black, sleeveless dress that had a form-fitting bodice, but flared out at the waist until it reach the ground. The top and bottom of the bottom of the bodice were lined in silver sparkles as well as some frills that overlapped the bottom of the dress. She wore a thin, silver heart necklace around her neck and a matching bracelet on her wrist.

She slipped into her dress, just managing to get the zipper all the way up, and turned to look in the mirror. Taking the necklace from the velvet box on her dresser, she put it on along with the bracelet, looking in the full-length mirror on the back of her door for the full effect. It was weird to see herself in a dress this beautiful. She personally thought that she didn't deserve something like this, but Galinda had forced her to get it.

Suddenly remembering that she needed shoes, she went over to her closet and pulled out a pair of black heels Galinda had told her would look good with the dress. She had been skeptical at first because she had never worn heels before, but after much argument, she had finally taken the heels from her girlfriend, stormed into her room, and thrown them in her closet. Now she put them on, wobbling a little, but walking around until she was comfortable in them.

There was a knock on the door and she called for whoever it was to come in, hoping that it was Galinda. She was disappointed when she saw that it was her grandfather instead.

"You're wishing that I was Galinda, aren't you?" he said, closing the door behind him. "I just talked to her and she said that she's sure you look beautiful, even more than usual, and to not try to cheat and see her. Chris just took her downstairs to wait. She looks very beautiful."

"How come everyone except for me gets to see her?" Elphaba said, walking over to her bed and sitting down.

"She just wants to impress you," he said, sitting down next to her. "You look beautiful, Fabala."

"Thank you," she whispered.

"I'm proud of you," he said. "A year ago, if I asked you to do this, you would have refused. Now you're getting dressed up and everything, and you're announcing your relationship with Galinda to all of Munchkinland. You're growing up, Elphaba, and you're going to make a fantastic Eminent Thropp. I can tell. Your mother would be proud of you."

"Thank you," she whispered again.

"Do you want to go down now?" he asked, standing up. "I'll take you down, and then I have to go change into my suit, but you can wait downstairs to be announced. Galinda is going to be announced after you, and then you're going announce your relationship."

She nodded. "Yeah, I'll go downstairs," she said. "How long until I'm announced?"

"About fifteen minutes," he said, looking down at his pocket watch. "Which means I have ten minutes to change. Come on, can you walk fast in those heels? I need to hurry or else this is what I'll be wearing to the ball."

"Why don't I just escort myself downstairs?" she asked.

"Because you're going to try to see Galinda," he said, laughing at her embarrassed expression. "Come on, I'm sure they could hold everything up for the Eminent Thropp. After all, I'm in charge."

She took his arm and they walked downstairs. He left her in the parlor, telling her to stay put, and left to go change. Elphaba waited anxiously for fifteen minutes before Chris appeared in the doorway, dressed in a suit.

"I'm supposed to be your escort when you're announced," he said. "This is only because you're technically with Galinda, except she's being announced separately."

"You look nice," Elphaba said, standing.

"And you look beautiful," he said as she took his arm. "Galinda is lucky to have you."

Elphaba blushed and looked down. "I'm sorry," she whispered.

"It's fine, I'm over it," Chris said good naturedly.

Three years ago, Chris had taken a walk with Elphaba in the rose gardens and had admitted many things to her. He had said that he had liked her for a long time and then had asked her out on a date. Elphaba had refused, apologizing, but things had been a little more awkward between the two of them ever since. Neither of them really liked to bring it up.

They arrived at the door that opened up to the balcony overlooking the ballroom and the stairs that led down to the ballroom floor. Elphaba took a deep breath and looked at Chris, who seemed concerned.

"Are you going to be okay?" he asked. "Do you want me to get your grandfather or Miss Galinda?"

She shook her head. "I just want to get this over with," she whispered, stepping forward. "Let's go."

Elphaba heard her name announced and then they stepped out onto the balcony. There was polite clapping and a few cheers before everyone quieted down. She went to stand with her grandfather, how smiled at her and nodded approvingly. Turning to the door, she waited for Galinda to be announced.

"Announcing Miss Galinda Upland of the Upper Uplands, of the Arduenna Clan!"

The door opened and Galinda walked in on Chris' arm. Elphaba's breath caught in her throat when she saw her girlfriend. The dress that Galinda had chosen was a light blue, sleeveless dress that had a formfitting bodice and was floor length. She wore a thick, silver necklace around her neck, matching earrings, and no jewelry on her wrists or fingers. She flashed a smile at Elphaba who had to keep herself from rushing forward.

There was polite clapping and Galinda made her way over to Elphaba, who hugged her and kissed her discreetly on the top of the head. "You look beautiful," she whispered. "Even more beautiful than usual, that is."

"And you look stunning," Galinda whispered back.

"There's… one more thing that I need to do before we can dance," Elphaba whispered. "I'm announcing our relationship. Would you… come with me?"

"Of course!" Galinda said, smiling.

They laced their fingers together and walked over to the rail of the balcony, looking down at the dance floor below. Elphaba nodded to the conductor of the orchestra that was playing and he motioned for them to stop playing. Everyone in the ballroom directed their attention on Elphaba.

"My fellow Munchkinlanders," Elphaba said. "I welcome you all to the Annual Winter Ball, and I welcome you to my home. To those who are not native to this country, welcome to Munchkinland."

There was more polite clapping and Elphaba raised her hand for silence so she could continue. "I would like to make an official announcement," she said, and there was a rumble of muttering that overtook the dance floor. The only official announcements that were made were for deaths, births, and the announcement of a new relationship. "I would like to officially announce Miss Galinda Upland of the Upper Uplands, of the Arduenna Clan, as my girlfriend and companion."

The Eminent Thropp stepped forward as the mutters became louder and everyone was quiet as they waited for him to speak. "I approve of the relationship between my granddaughter and Miss Galinda," he said.

Elphaba turned to Galinda and kissed her gently, drawing gasps from those on the dance floor, but she ignored them. "No matter what," she whispered to Galinda, "I will always be here for you, no matter what anyone else says or thinks. Even if my grandfather hadn't approved of our relationship."

Chris stepped forward and started to clap, and both Elphaba and Galinda looked at him in surprise, and then Elphaba nodded her thanks. Another person down on the dance floor started to clap, and then another, and another, until the whole room was clapping and smiling at the young couple.

"I love you," Elphaba whispered.

Galinda kissed her gently. "I love you, too."

_**Well, there you go. The next chapter will be the actual ball, I promise. I would never try to skip over something like that. I'm just having trouble writing this story right now and I want to get everything right. Thank you to everyone who reviewed the last chapter:**_

_**Jamie**_

_**Rtarlesteen**_

_**-greenTARDISgal-**_

_**Servant of Snape**_

_**moodified**_

_**Megyn129**_

_**Paige Halliwell**_

_**And thank you to all of my other reviewers and to my readers. I really appreciate all thoughts, comments, and suggestions, so please, please, please, please, PLEASE REVIEW. Thank you all again, and I'll get the next chapter up as soon as possible!**_

_**ReallyObsessiveWriter**_

4


	31. Chapter 31

_**Explanation for my absence is at the end of the chapter.**_

"And this is Mayor Rodric," Elphaba said, introducing Galinda to the last of the hundreds of people who had come to attend the ball. "He is mayor of Center Munch and a very important figure in our government. We are lucky to have him with us."

Mayor Rodric was one of the only Munchkins at the ball, which Galinda told Elphaba she thought was odd. Elphaba had explained that most everyone of importance in Munchkinland had long ago married into a family that had natural height. Galinda smiled as he took her hand and kissed it gently, wishing them both the best of luck in their relationship.

"That's it," Elphaba sighed. "Dinner should start in thirty minutes, and until then, we can mingle and talk with everyone you just met, or we can go recover privately for ten or fifteen minutes and tell everyone else that we just went to go fix our makeup."

"I like the second choice," Galinda giggled, kissing Elphaba quickly on the cheek.

Elphaba smiled and took Galinda's hand, pulling her through the crowd and nodding to everyone who greeted her. She led Galinda into the hall, instructing her guards to leave them in peace for a few moments and make sure no one followed them. They saluted her and stood in front of the doors, politely stepping in front of a man who was already intent on following Elphaba. Elphaba quickly pulled Galinda into a hallway and into an empty guest room, shutting the door behind them.

"How did you know all of their names?" Galinda asked as soon as the door shut.

"My grandfather had me memorize their names a few years ago," Elphaba said, sitting down on the bed and taking off her shoes. "It took me awhile, but I finally got everyone after a few hundred note cards. You wouldn't believe how cramped my hand was. I'm just glad I don't have to do that kind of memorizing at Shiz."

"Note cards?" Galinda asked, arching her eyebrows and looking at Elphaba with an amused expression on her face. "Couldn't you have had someone else write the names out for you?"

"Ah, but that's part of the learning process, my sweet," Elphaba said, smiling as she stood and gathered Galinda in her arms. "But you'll have it much easier. You won't have to memorize their names until we're engaged to be married. Then the real fun will begin."

"Couldn't you just… whisper their names to me?" Galinda asked hopefully, looking up at Elphaba.

"But that would be cheating!" Elphaba said, her smile turning into a grin.

"Elphie!"

"Maybe I'll cut you a break," Elphaba whispered, looking mischievous. "But only if you'll do something for me."

"And what's that?" Galinda asked.

Elphaba looked serious now. "Will you give me your first dance tonight?"

Galinda smiled up at her and kissed her. "Did you even have to ask?" she whispered.

"Well, I did see one of the minister's sons eyeing you out there," Elphaba said. "I didn't know if you would rather dance with him. Rumor is that he's the most handsome boy in all of Munchkinland, and perhaps in all of Oz."

"I think both you and I know that I have no interest in dancing with boys," Galinda whispered, her hand trailing dangerously low down Elphaba's back, sending shivers up her spine. "And I think they know, too. If they don't, we're just going to have to do something that will let them know and leave them without a doubt."

"You're going to be the death of me," Elphaba whispered, breathing heavily and closing her eyes. "It doesn't help that you look absolutely gorgeous in that dress. I'm definitely keeping that one for you."

There was a knock on the door and Galinda quickly pulled her hand away from Elphaba as it opened to reveal the Eminent Thropp. He smiled when he saw the two of them and gave a wink to Elphaba, who was now blushing a dark green. "Dinner starts in twenty minutes," he said. "Everyone is wondering where the two of you have gone. I told them that you're taking care of some unfinished Heir Apparent business and that Galinda opted to accompany you, but I do suggest that you get back in the ballroom. You two _are_ the newest news in Munchkinland."

"We'll be out in a few minutes," Elphaba said, and the Eminent Thropp closed the door quietly. "That's what I was worried about," she sighed angrily, sitting down on the bed and putting her heels back on.

"What's wrong," Galinda asked, sitting down next to her and putting a hand on her shoulder.

"Tomorrow morning, don't be surprised if there are a whole bunch of reporters at the gates of Colwen Grounds asking for an interview with us," Elphaba said, standing up. "This will not be kept quiet. I wouldn't be surprised if someone already slipped off to break the news to everyone else in Munchkinland. The ball will be kept private, but there might be some attempts by people to get in when they haven't been invited."

"Will this affect your status as Heir Apparent?" Galinda asked with a worried expression on her face. "I mean, if I had known that it would…"

"Not really," Elphaba said, taking Galinda by the hand and leading her slowly back to the ballroom. "I mean, yes, there will be some people who won't approve of my relationship with you, but those will be the people who have been looking for some reason to keep me from becoming Eminent Thropp after my grandfather has either retired or passed away."

"I really wish you had told me about this," Galinda said unhappily. "I wasn't even thinking about the effects this could have on you as leader of Munchkinland."

"To be honest, I had totally forgotten about it," Elphaba said. "But let's not worry about it. The cooks have prepared an amazing dinner, and then I'm going to dance with a gorgeous girl, and then I'm going to fall asleep dreaming about that same gorgeous girl."

"Have I told you how much I love you recently?" Galinda asked.

"Not in the past, let's see, fifteen minutes," Elphaba said.

"Well, I love you," Galinda said as they arrived at the pair of double doors leading into the ballroom. Elphaba leaned down and kissed her passionately as the guards politely turned their heads.

"I love you, too," she whispered.

_**Okay, I'm really sorry for not updating for so long. I couldn't get on my computer for about a week, I went on vacation, and then I had a really bad case of writer's block. I'm going to start updating more regularly, and I'm really sorry. Please review, I'm sorry again, and thanks for sticking with me.**_

_**ReallyObsessiveWriter**_

3


	32. Chapter 32

_**Don't be mad at me.**_

The dinner went very slowly for Galinda and Elphaba because neither of them could wait to dance with each other. Elphaba was seated to the right of the Eminent Thropp, which was the traditional place for the Heir Apparent, and Galinda was seated to the right of Elphaba. They held hands the whole time, sneaking glances at each other occasionally, although the look many people at the table were giving them told them that they had better not try to kiss at the table.

It seemed like thousands of speeches were made at the end of dinner and both Elphaba and Galinda were anxious for them to be over. Then it came time for Elphaba to make a speech herself. She stood up at her place and looked around at the table, at the visiting emissaries, the governors from cities all around Munchkinland, at her grandfather, and finally at Galinda.

"You all know who I am," she began. "My name is Elphaba Corvina Thropp, Third Descending of Munchkinland and Heir Apparent. As you may or may not know, I was named after Saint Aelphaba of the Waterfall, although I spell my name differently. My middle name comes from one of my relatives, my great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great grandmother, one of the most powerful Eminent Thropps that have ever lived." She nodded politely to her grandfather. "As is our current Eminent Thropp. But I don't intend to speak about the greatness of our past leaders, or even our current leader, because that would take too much time. Instead, I intend to inform you about myself so that you may know who I really am."

She took a deep breath. "My mother, may she rest in peace, was Melena Arianna Thropp, late First Descending. Both her first and her middle name are family names on my grandfather's side. My father is Frexspar Thropp, and he comes from a direct line of six ministers before him. I have two siblings, Nessarose Thropp, Fourth Descending, and Shell Thropp, Fifth Descending. I have told you this because in order to understand who I am, you have to know who my family is, too.

"I go to Shiz University in Gillikin, which is the most prestigious school in all of Oz, recommended by the Wizard himself. Many royals have attended Shiz University, including several of our own Eminent Thropps, princes from the Vinkus, and dignitaries from Gillikin. It was with great honor that I accepted my place at Shiz University. To be placed among those who have attended this dignified school before me is something I can't even begin to convey my utmost honor and gratitude.

"I live in Room 22 at Shiz University in Crage Hall under Madame Morrible. Even though I am only a First Year there, I intend to major in political sciences in order to help my understanding of what it means to become Eminent Thropp. Madame Morrible, who also teaches at Shiz University, wishes me to minor in magical studies because, like my grandmother, Corvina, before me, I have powerful innate magic."

There were gasps as she said this and people started to murmur with each other. Elphaba held up her hand for silence, which quickly resumed.

"Because of the color of my skin, I have very few friends at Shiz University," she said. "And now even fewer because of my relationship with Miss Galinda Upland of the Upper Uplands, of the Arduenna Clan. Many people don't understand the challenges we share, and even fewer understand the love. Most people don't find the person they love in the first nineteen years of their life, and I have been lucky enough to do so. So before we all rise and move to the ballroom, I would like to dedicate a toast to my girlfriend, Galinda Upland, for understanding who I really am and taking me in without a complaint."

"Galinda Upland," everyone murmured, raising their glasses and taking a sip.

"Thank you, Elphaba," the Eminent Thropp said, rising as Elphaba sat back down. "Now, please rise and exit gracefully towards the ballroom."

Everyone rose at the same time and the Eminent Thropp led them towards the ballroom where the orchestra was already warming up. The first song started playing and Elphaba curtsied to Galinda, offering her hand. "May I have this dance, milady?" she asked.

"Of course," Galinda giggled.

Elphaba then swept her off into the middle of the dance floor, twirling her around.

"I didn't know that you knew how to dance," Galinda whispered as they finally slowed down.

"Maybe I should have put that in my speech," Elphaba whispered back, kissing her softly. Suddenly Galinda went slack, leaning in against Elphaba, her head against Elphaba's chest and her knees collapsing beneath her. Several people around them glared at them and moved away.

"Galinda, this isn't funny," Elphaba murmured. "Come on, stop goofing around, you aren't supposed to do this at the Winter Ball, it's improper. You of all people should know that. Galinda, stop it. Galinda? Galinda Upland, you answer me at once."

She scooped Galinda up into her arms like a child and hurried to the edge of the dance floor, where the crowd parted. Elphaba laid Galinda down on the ground, tears stinging her eyes as she checked for her pulse. Suddenly, she realized that she had stopped breathing.

"Someone get help!" she yelled, and the people around her began to scream as they realized Galinda wasn't fooling around. "Please, get a doctor, quickly!"

A team of doctors pushed Elphaba aside, kneeling around Galinda. Elphaba turned towards the large windows of the ballroom and realized that it had started to snow. Remembering that that was the sign her mother was going to give her when she was ready to tell her about a cure that she might have found, she pulled of her shoes and ran out of the ballroom and towards the stables.

Going to her horse's stall, she mounted her mare, not bothering to tack her up. One of the stable hands jumped out of the way as she galloped out of the stable and towards the ring of trees where she contacted her mother. She urged her horse to run faster and faster towards the trees, hoping she wouldn't be too late to run back and save Galinda once she found out what the cure was.

She dismounted and ran into the ring of trees, where it immediately stopped snowing. Her mother was standing there, looking at her anxiously.

"What's going on?" Melena asked. "Why are you dressed like that? Where's Galinda? Why haven't you taken measures to protect yourself from the snow? If I had known this would happen, I wouldn't have made it snow."

"Mother, please, you need to tell me what the cure is," Elphaba said desperately. "Galinda… something's wrong, and I don't know what to do. We were having the Annual Winter Ball, and it was the first dance, and Galinda just collapsed against me. I need to know what the cure is so I can help her."

"Have you heard of the Grimmerie?" Melena asked, and Elphaba nodded. "Only those of great power can read the Grimmerie, and only one person alive in Oz can read it. The Grimmerie is the only chance you have of saving Galinda. There is a spell in the Grimmerie that will save her, but only one of immense power can use it without killing themselves."

"Who can read it?" Elphaba asked.

"You," Melena said. "If it wasn't for the fact that Galinda was in trouble right now, I would be explaining this a lot differently, but only you can read it and only you can perform the spell, but only with my help. You're going to have to sustain the touch of the dead."

"But you said the last person…" Elphaba stared.

"Yes, the last mortal to be touched by a spirit died," Melena said. "But I have reason to believe that you won't. Elphaba, this is the only way you'll be able to save Galinda, do you understand? If you don't do this, then she'll definitely die. There is no other cure for her disease."

"Are… are you sure this is necessary?" Elphaba asked. "What if I die? Who'll save her?"

"You won't die, I promise," Melena said, holding out her hand. "This is the only way, Elphaba."

"Okay," Elphaba whispered. "I'll do it. How…?"

"Just hug me," Melena whispered.

Elphaba stepped forward and wrapped her arms around her mother, who was surprisingly solid. A jolt of energy rushed through Elphaba and she started to rise up into the air as Melena wrapped her arms around her. Melena suddenly disappeared, but Elphaba kept rising until she was level with the tops of the trees around her, and then she fell to the ground, convulsing. After a few moments, she laid still. Everything was quiet around her. No one knew what had transpired. Elphaba was alone.

_**PLEASE READ THIS!!! Okay, just did that to make sure that those of you who don't usually read my notes actually reads this. It's important. This is the last chapter of this story. Now I'm not saying that I'm not going to continue, but I felt that this is a good place to stop and start another story. The sequel will be called **_**An Ally Name Love.**_** Unfortunately, I won't be posting the next story until I've finished one of my other stories. I think at least two of them are pretty closed to be finished, so hopefully you guys won't have to wait long.**_

_**Before I go any farther, I want to thank everyone for reviewing the last chapter:**_

_**Jamie**_

_**yayyy!**_

_**Rtarara**_

_**Caro88**_

_**ghostly bender**_

_**WickedLuvr**_

_**Megyn129**_

_**And I want to thank everyone who has ever reviewed. I would list you all, but that would be tons and tons of people. You guys are all great and I really appreciate all of the encouragement, tips, comments, and suggestions you've given me.**_

_**Writing this story has been an experience for me, and I honestly say I'm going to miss it. I've become extremely attached to my characters, and I think if I were any closer to them, I would BE them, and that wouldn't be good. This has been a journey, and I'm glad that you've all been a part of it. Thank you all so much for sticking with me through my updating frenzies and the times when I haven't updated for a month. (I'm still really sorry about that.) I can't wait to begin writing the next story, and until then.**_

_**ReallyObsessiveWriter**_

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